-Chapter First-
Through the River-Dale of the elves and the hobbit-shire.
Very wide lands lay between the Blue Mountains and the Misty Mountains, and the road was to be a long one. From Frerin's Court they left at dawn, along a distracted causeway between the snowy ridges of the Vale of Thrain. Over the branches of the trees hung a thick blanket of snow, awaiting the breeze that would free them from their argent burden. At the top of one hill, a solitary cabin overlooked the road, perhaps occupied by an ascetic miner or hunter.
Luckily for the motley crew of travellers and would-be crusaders, there was no snow falling nor wind blowing, and with the sun shining high in the sky, they reached Noglond infront of Orodost without much trouble. The sentries of Noglond accompanied them for a while the next day, until they reached the Low Lands and saw the mountains descending to the river. This was more pleasant scenery and the road was comfortable and well-built, worthy of dwarves; at Gondamon, Ulbam and Libam - who were leather workers - stayed behind.
The caravan continued on to where the Elvish country began. They were welcomed by healthy trees, brightly coloured, and beautiful; as if the forests of Falathorn manifested them to thank the Lhûn for its cool waters.Where the road turned south they made camp, though there were some -among them was Ufedarr - who disliked encamping so close to Duillond, the River Haven, and who wished to keep on moving until sundown. They stopped, however, for many were tired and in the majority. The Elves were courteous and guided them on their way out of their lands.
The caravan crossed the high bridge over the River Lhûn the next morning and started along the East Way towards the Shire. They crossed Yondershire quickly -a wilder region than the peaceful Shire ahead- for Ufedarr and a growing number of dwarves were impatient, and the stolidness of the rest delayed their arrival in Khazad-dûm; they were surprised by the stone wall of the hobbits and the many bounders who stopped them, as if they did not share information and every law-man had to verify personally that they did not mean to plunder their farms.
Following the course of The Water towards the Brandywine, they arrived where the river stops at Rushock Bog; there they suffered the attack of countless swarms of mosquitoes when some of the wagons could not pass over the bridges, because they were too narrow. With many ailments they did the crossing and rejoiced in the sunshine of the joyful Shire at Waymoot, where they again stopped to camp along with a large number of hobbits, with their own wagons.
Kór and Gremin bade farewell to the others, for they had joined the caravan only so far, because they were merchants and planned to purchase large quantities of Pipe-Weed and return to Thorin's Halls; although not before festing with with their friends of the Shire.
The tents and wagons were placed in the meeting of ways, there where three columns stand near a fallen one.
