I've always been curious about the Barrow-downs, but not enough to venture in there. I had a friend back when I was only ten or so named Ted who said he went there. He said he saw a dead man walking. I never believed him, but I never wanted to prove him wrong, since that would mean going there myself.
Of course I've gone around the place a lot. I go on the roads north and east of it all the time. I went in the Old Forest once, you know. But, until yesterday, I had never actually been in the Barrow-downs.
This was to change when, while I was passing through Combe on my way from Bree to Chetwood, I found Ellie panicking. One of her two new dogs (named Ralph and Alf, Ralph being the one that ran away) from the Eastfarthing of the Shire had run away the night before. Alf was eager to look for his brother, but Ellie couldn't abandon her duties to her other dogs. She had been trying to ask around town for help when I arrived, and naturally the responsibility fell on me.
Alf led me through Bree and on to the West Gate. He could clearly smell the trail of his brother, and was going at such a pace that I had to run after him. After crossing the Greenway, we made straight for the north pass of the Barrow-downs. At this point I was exhausted from running so much, but Alf wasn't. Just before we entered the dreaded place, I made him stop and we ate lunch.
Then we continued. In about an more of jogging we found Ralph cowering near an open barrow. I tried to get him to come with us, but he wouldn't budge. And he was a big dog, so I knew I couldn't carry him the whole way. Just when I was about to try, though, I heard why he was cowering.
In the distance, though not distant enough, there was a distinct howl. Now Alf was cowering too, and I was close enough to it. Then, on a not-so-far-away hill, I saw the source of the howl: a great black dog, a barghest. I picked up the dogs and brought them into the darkness of the barrow, so that maybe the barghest wouldn't see us. But, of course, barghests can smell as well as, if not better than, they can see. So in a few moments I heard the thing sniffing around outside the barrow, ready to jump in and tear us to pieces.
I took my bow from my back and an arrow from my quiver. I tried to be quiet but Ralph and Alf didn't seem to be in the same mind. They whimpered, and the sniffing of the barghest went silent. That's when I jumped into the light from outside and, seeing the barghest, I shot at the beast's head. If the first arrow didn't kill it, the next six did.
The dogs were shaken at least temporarily from their stupor and ran out of the barrow. I went after them, and I had to sprint to keep up with them. They only let up their pace when we were out of the Barrow-downs.
Of course once they came to their senses, Ralph and Alf were very happy to see each other. I guided them both back through Bree and into Combe, slowly this time, since I was absolutely exhausted. By nightfall we reached Ellie's house, and as a reward she gave me dinner.
And that's the end of the story.
