Back in Crickhollow, Fatty Bolger sees a shadow in the dark. Several Black Riders come to the door and break it down, but Fatty, aware of their presence, runs out the back and runs through the streets screaming awake, fire, and enemy to alert the townspeople of danger. An alarm sounds throughout the land and lights go on all over town. The Riders flee, not out of fear, but because they know that Frodo is not there and there will be a later time to deal with these people. They have more important matters to deal with.
In the morning, Strider/Aragorn wakes Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, and they all find that someone has been in their room and slashed the bedding. The Hobbits call Butterbur to the room and he is.....
