The War of the Jewels (48 page)

When the men awoke he was already gone far, and there was a thick morning mist about the river. As time passed and he did not return nor answer any call they began to fear that he had been taken by some beast or prowling enemy. 'We have become heedless of late,' said Asgon. 'The land is quiet, too quiet, but there are eyes under leaves and ears behind stones.'

They followed his trail when the mist lifted; but it led to the ford and there failed, and they were at a loss. 'If he has left us, let us return to our own land,' said Ragnir.(24) He was the youngest of the company, and remembered little of the days before the Nirnaeth. 'The old man's wits are wild. He speaks with strange voices to shadows in his sleep.'

'Little wonder if it were so,' said Asgon. 'But who else could stand as straight as he, after such woe? Nay, he is our right lord, do as he may, and I have sworn to follow him.'

'Even east over the ford?' said the others.

'Nay, there is small hope in that way,' said Asgon, 'and I do not think that Hurin will go far upon it. All we know of his purpose was to go soon to Brethil, and that he has an errand there. We are on the very border. Let us seek him there.'

'By whose leave?' said Ragnir. 'Men there do not love strangers.'

'Good men dwell there,' said Asgon, 'and the [Master >]

Lord of Brethil is kin to our old lords.'(25) Nonetheless the others were doubtful, for no tidings had come out of Brethil for some ]

years. 'It may be ruled by Orcs for all we know,' they said.

'We shall soon find what way things go,' said Asgon. 'Orcs are little worse than Eastrons, I guess. If outlaws we must remain, I would rather lurk in the fair woods than in the cold hills.'

Asgon, therefore, turned and went back towards Brethil; and the others followed him, for he had a stout heart and men said that he was born with good luck. Before that day ended they had come deep into the forest, and their coming was marked; for the Haladin were more wary than ever and kept close watch on their borders. In the [middle of the night >] grey of the morning, as all but one of the incomers were asleep, their camp was surrounded, and their watchman was held and gagged as soon as he cried out.

Then Asgon leapt up, and called to his men that they should draw no weapon. 'See now,' he cried, 'we come in peace! Edain we are out of [Mithrim > Hithlum >] Dorlomin.'

*'That may be so,' said the march-wardens. 'But the morn is dim. Our captain will judge you better when light is more.'

Then being many times outnumbered Asgon and his men were made prisoners, and their weapons were taken and their hands bound. Thus they were brought to Ebor their captain; and he asked their names and whence they came.

'So you are Edain of the North,' he said. 'Your speech bears you out, and your gear. You look for friendship, maybe. But alas! evil things have befallen us here, and we live in fear.

Manthor my lord, Master of the North-march, is not here, and I must therefore obey the commands of the Halad, the Chieftain of Brethil. To him you must be sent at once without further question. There may you speed well! '

So Ebor spoke in courtesy, but he did not hope over much.

For the new Chieftain was now Hardang son of Hundad. At the death of Brandir childless he had been made Halad, being of the Haladin, the kin of Haleth, from which all chieftains were chosen. He had not loved Turin, and he had no love now at all for the House of Hador, in whose blood he had no part. Neither had he much friendship with Manthor, who was also of the Haladin.

To Hardang Asgon and his men were led by devious ways, and they were blindfolded. Thus at length they came to the hall of the Chieftains in Obel Halad;(26) and their eyes were un-covered, and the guards led them in. Hardang sat in his great chair, and he looked unkindly upon them.

'From Dorlomin you come, I am told,' he said. 'But why you come I know not.* Little good has come to Brethil out of that land; and I look for none now: it is a fief of Angband. Cold welcome you will find here, creeping in thus to spy out our ways! '

Asgon restrained his anger, but answered stoutly: 'We did not come in stealth, lord. We have as great craft in woods as your folk, and we should not so easily have been taken, if we had known any cause for fear. We are Edain, and we do not serve Angband but hold to the House of Hador. We believed that the Men of Brethil were of like sort and friendly to all faithful men.'

'To those of proved faith,' said Hardang. 'To be Edain is not enough alone. And as for the House of Hador it is held in little love here. Why should the folk of that House come here now?'

To that Asgon made no answer; for from the unfriendship of the [Master >] Chieftain he thought it best not to speak yet of Hurin.

'I see that you will not speak of all that you know,' said Hardang. 'So be it. I must judge as I see; but I will be just. This is my judgement. Here Turin son of Hurin dwelt for a time, and he delivered the land from the Serpent of Angband. For this I give you your lives. **But he scorned Brandir, right Chieftain of Brethil, and he slew him without justice or pity. Therefore I will not harbour you here. You shall be thrust forth, whence you entered. Go now, and if you return it will be to death!'

'Then shall we not receive our weapons again?' said Asgon.

'Will you cast us back into the wild without bow or steel to perish among the beasts?'

'No man of Hithlum shall ever again bear weapon in Brethil,'

said Hardang. Not by my leave. Lead them hence.

But as they were haled from the hall Asgon cried: This is the justice of Eastrons not of Edain! We were not here with Turin, either in good deed or evil. Hurin we serve. He lives still.

Lurking in your wood do you not remember the Nirnaeth? Will you then dishonour him also in your spite, if he comes?'

'If Hurin comes, do you say?' said Hardang. 'When Morgoth sleeps, maybe! '

'Nay,' said Asgon. 'He has returned. With him we came to your borders. He has an errand here, he said. He will come!'

'Then I shall be here to meet him,' said Hardang. 'But you will not. Now go!' He spoke as in scorn, but his face whitened in sudden fear that some strange thing had happened boding yet worse to come. Then a great dread of the shadow of the House of Hador fell upon him, so that his heart grew dark. For he was not a man of great spirit, such as were Hunthor and Manthor, descendants of Hiril.

Asgon and his company were blindfolded again, lest they should espy out the pathways of Brethil, and they were led back to the North-march. Ebor was ill pleased when he heard of what had passed in Obel Halad, and he spoke to them more courteously.

'Alas! ' he said, 'you must needs go forth again. But see! I return to you your gear and weapons. For so would my lord Manthor do, at the least. I would he were here! But he is the doughtiest man now among us; and by Hardang's command is Captain of the guards at the Crossings of Taiglin. There we have most fear of assault, and most fighting. Well, this much I will do in his stead; but I beg you, do not enter Brethil again, for if you do, we may feel constrained to obey the word of Hardang that has now gone out to all the marches: to slay you at sight.'

Then Asgon thanked him, and Ebor led them to the eaves of Brethil, and there wished them good speed.

'Well, thy luck has held,' said Ragnir, 'for at least we are not slain, though we came nigh it. Now what shall we do?'

'I desire still to find my lord Hurin,' said Asgon, 'and my heart tells me that he will come to Brethil yet.'

'Whither we cannot return,' said Ragnir, 'unless we seek a death swifter than hunger.'

'If he comes, he will come, I guess, by the north-march, between Sirion and [Taiglin >] Taeglin,' said Asgon. 'Let us go down towards the Crossings of [Taiglin >] Taeglin. There it is more likely that we may hear news.'

'Or bow-strings,' said Ragnir. Nonetheless they took Asgon's counsel, and went away westward, keeping such watch as they could from afar upon the dark eaves of Brethil.

But Ebor was troubled, and sent swiftly to Manthor reporting the coming of Asgon and his strange words concerning Hurin.

But of this matter rumour now ran through all Brethil. And Hardang sat in Obel Halad in doubt, and took counsel with his friends.**

In the foregoing text two passages are replacements in the typescript of shorter passages that were rejected. The first of these, marked by asterisks at its beginning and end, runs from ' "That may be so," said the march-wardens' on p. 262 to '"But why you come I know not"'

on p. 263. The rejected passage read as follows:

'Maybe,' answered the captain of the guards; 'but the morn is dim. Others shall judge you in a better light.'

Then, being many times outnumbered, Asgorn and his men were made prisoners, and their weapons were taken and their hands bound; and in this way they were brought at last before the new Master of the Haladin.

He was Harathor, brother of that Hunthor who perished in the ravine of Taeglin. By the childless death of Brandir he had inherited the lordship descending from Haldad. He had no love for the house of Hador, and no part in their blood; and he said to Asgorn, when the captives stood before him: 'From [Hithlum >] Dorlomin you come, I am told, and your speech bears it out. But why you come I know not.

For reference in the following pages I shall call this passage A 1 and its replacement A 2.

The second replacement passage, marked by two asterisks at beginning and end, runs from 'But he scorned Brandir' on p. 264 to

'And Hardang sat in Obel Halad in doubt, and took counsel with his friends' on p. 265. Here the rejected passage read:

'... But he scorned Brandir, right Master of Brethil, and he slew him without justice or pity. For this I will take your freedom. You shall be held in bonds; and I shall not relent until good reason is shown me.'

Then he ordered them to be taken and shut in a cave and there to be guarded day and night. But as they were led away Asgorn cried:

'This is the justice of Eastrons not of Edain! We were not here with Turin, either in good deed or evil. Hurin we serve, who still lives.

Maybe lurking in your little wood you do not remember the Nirnaeth or his great deeds. Will you slay him to ease your griefs, if he comes?'

'If Hurin comes, do you say?' said Harathor. 'When Morgoth sleeps, maybe.'

'Nay,' said Asgorn. 'He has returned, and we came with him to your borders. He has an errand here, he said. He will come!'

'Then we will await him. And you shall too,' said Harathor, smiling grimly. But afterwards his heart misgave him, fearing that Asgorn spoke the truth and that some strange thing had happened, boding worse to follow. For he dreaded the shadow of the House of Hador, lest it should overwhelm his lesser folk, and he was not a man of great heart such as Hunthor his brother [later > such as the .1

descendants of Haldir and Hiril his sister].

The rejected text then moved straight on to 'Now Hurin, coming into Dimbar' on p. 271. The passage just given I will call B 1 and its replacement B 2.

Among the draft manuscript papers is found the following text, which I will call 'C': in this my father reflected on the development of the story. Written very rapidly and roughly, with many abbreviations which I have expanded, it preceded, and was the basis for, the two replacement passages A 2 and B 2.

The Wanderings of Hurin.

? Where is to come in the revelation that Asgorn and company are in jail. They do not seem to fit, yet their coming to Brethil is needed to 'cast the shadow' by arousing fear and hatred in the heart of Harathor.

I suggest that the two jailings [i.e. that of Asgorn and his men and that of Hurin, told later] are too repetitive; and also Harathor is too fierce all at once. His doom is that because of the killing of Glaurung their lives are spared; but because of the killing of Brandir they are to be thrust out: he will have none of the House of Hador.

Asgorn says this is cruel treatment. He demands return of their weapons, 'or how else are they to live in the wild?' But Harathor says no man of Dorlomin shall bear a weapon in Brethil. Asgorn as they are led off asks if he will treat Hurin in like orkish manner. 'We will wait and see,' said Harathor.

[This paragraph was struck out as soon as written: [Manthor, captain >] The captain / of the Taiglin-guard returns their weapons, and bids them a fairly courteous farewell; but warns them that 'state of war' has been declared (which gives the Master / Warden right to issue orders to all under duty-rota) and that if they cross again into Brethil he or any other captain or watchman will shoot them. They go off but lurk in watch of the crossings, but miss Hurin, who entered out of Dimbar. Hurin should not enter by Taiglin-crossing, nor be found by Haud-en-Elleth. (This has no significance in his case, and overworks the Haud.)]

Asgorn and company are blindfolded as they are brought to Obel Halad and are put out by the same way as they entered (so as to learn no more of the ways of Brethil). They therefore lurk near the eaves in that region, and so miss Hurin who crossed the Brithiach and went to the Crossings of Taiglin.