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Gollum's Ring by the Halfling, he could believe only that
Gandalf .had known of this all the time; and this was his greatest grievance,
since all that concerned the
Rings he deemed his especial province. That Gandalf's mistrust of him was
merited and just in no way lessened his anger.
Yet in truth Saruman's spying and great secrecy had not in the beginning any
evil purpose, but was no more than a folly born of pride. Small matters,
unworthy it would seem to be reported, may yet prove of great moment ere the
end. Now truth to tell, observing Gandalf's love of the herb that he called
"pipe-weed"
the end. Now truth to tell, observing Gandalf's love of the herb that he
called "pipe-weed" (for which, he said, if for nothing else, the Little People
should be honoured), Saruman had affected to scoff at it, but in private he
made trial of it, and soon began to use it; and for tins reason the Shire
remained important to him.
Yet he dreaded lest this should be discovered, and his own mockery turned
against him, so that he would be laughed at for imitating Gandalf, and scorned
for doing so by stealth. This then was the reason for his great secrecy in all
his dealings with the Shire even from the first before any shadow of doubt had
fallen upon it, and it was little guarded, free for those who wished to enter.
For this reason also Saruman ceased to go thither in person; for it came to
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his knowledge that he had not been all unobserved by the keen-eyed
Halflings, and some, seeing the figure as it were of an old man clad in grey
or russet stealing through the woods or passing through the dusk, had mistaken
him for Gandalf.
After that Saruman went no more to the Shire, fearing that such tales might
spread and come maybe to the ears of Gandalf. But Gandalf knew of these
visits, and guessed their object, and he laughed, thinking this the most
harmless of Saruman's secrets; but he said nothing to others, for it was never
his wish that any one should be put to shame. Nonetheless he was not
ill-pleased when the visits of Saruman ceased, doubting him already, though he
could not himself yet foresee that a time would come when Saruman's knowledge
of the
Shire would prove perilous and of the greatest service to the Enemy, bringing
victory to within a nail's breadth of his grasp.
In another version there is a description of the occasion when Saruman openly
scoffed at Gandalf's use of the "pipe-weed:"
Now because of his dislike and fear, in the later days Saruman avoided
Gandalf, and they seldom met, except at the assemblies of the White Council.
It was at the great Council held in 2851 that the "Halflings'
leaf" was first spoken of, and the matter was noted with amusement at the
time, though it was afterwards remembered in a different light. The Council
met in Rivendell, and Gandalf sat apart, silent, but smoking prodigiously (a
thing he had never done before on such an occasion), while Saruman spoke
against him, and urged that contrary to Gandalf's advice Dol Guldur should not
yet be molested. Both the silence and the smoke seemed greatly to annoy
Saruman, and before the Council dispersed be said to Gandalf: "When weighty
matters are in debate, Mithrandir, I wonder a little that you should play with
your toys of fire and smoke, while others are in earnest speech."
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But Gandalf laughed, and replied: "You would not wonder if you used this herb
yourself. Yon might find that smoke blown out cleared your mind of shadows
within. Anyway, it gives patience, to listen to error without anger. But it is
not one of my toys. It is an art of the Little People away in the West: merry
and worthy folk, though not of much account, perhaps, in your high policies."
1
Saruman was little appeased by this answer (for he hated mockery, however
gentle), and he said then coldly: "You jest, Lord Mithrandir, as is your way.
I know well enough that you have become a curious explorer of the small:
weeds, wild things and childish folk. Your time is your own to spend, if you
have nothing worthier to do; and your friends you may make as you please. But
to me the days are too dark for wanderers' tales, and I have no time for the
simples of peasants."
Gandalf did not laugh again; and he did not answer, but looking keenly at
Saruman he drew on his pipe and sent out a great ring of smoke with many
smaller rings that followed it. Then he put up his hand, as if to grasp them,
and they vanished. With that he got up and left Saruman without another word;
but Saruman stood for some time silent, and his face was dark with doubt and
displeasure.
This story appears in half a dozen different manuscripts, and in one of them
it is said that Saruman was suspicious,
doubting whether he read rightly the purport of Gandalf's gesture with the
rings of smoke (above all whether it showed any connexion between the
Halflings and the great matter of the Rings of Power, unlikely though that
might seem); and doubting that one so great could concern himself with such a
people as the Halflings for their own sake merely.
In another (struck through) Gandalf's purpose is made explicit:
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It was a strange chance, that being angered by his insolence Gandalf chose
this way of showing to Saruman his suspicion that desire to possess them had
begun to enter into his policies and his study of the lore of the
Rings; and of warning him that they would elude him. For it cannot be doubted
that Gandalf had as yet no thought that the Halflings (and still less their
smoking) had any connection with the Rings. If he had had
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any such thought, then certainly he would not have done then what he did. Yet [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]