A couple of interesting notes about the history of this chapter. Tom, of course, already existed before LOTR was even conceived, along with Goldberry, Old Man Willow, and the Barrow-wights. All appeared in Tolkien's poem "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" (also called "The History of Tom Bombadil" that was published in
The Oxford Magazine. As I mentioned in the discussion of the last chapter, Tolkien's initial conception was that the hobbits first encounter with Tom was to be brief, and they would not be his guests until after their escape from the barrow, but that apparently never made it into narrative.
More interesting is the fact that when he did draft the first text for this chapter, he was still unsure of who or what the Black Riders were, and speculated that perhaps they were horsed Barrow-wights! Moreover, it appears that what became the element of Frodo's dream in which he hears the Black Riders galloping was actually real in the original version, with the Black Riders/Barrow-wights actually surrounding Tom's house in the middle of night. In the morning Bingo finds the ground marked by hoofs, and is then moved to seek help and advice from Tom, who expresses surprise:
Tom looked at him. 'Horsemen,' he said. 'Dead men [?riding the wind. 'Tis long since they came hence.] What ails the Barrow-wights to leave their old mounds? You are strange folk to come out of the Shire, [?even stranger than my news told me.] Now you had best tell me all - and I will give you counsel.
This ends the first version of the text. In the second version, it is still ambiguous as to whether the dream is real or not, and Bingo still sees the ground marked by hoofs, but (as Christopher says) "this now no more than a way of emphasizing the vividness of his experience in the night."
Interestingly, the incident with the Ring that we have been discussing is told from the beginning in virtually the same words that appear in the final version.
The only thing worth mentioning regarding the 'second phase' version of this chapter is that their was a text marked to be inserted just before the dreams about the house in Crickhollow (which at this point was considered to be empty) being invaded by the Black Riders, who were driven off by the appearance of Gandalf. Tolkien wrote a note next to this saying "This will require altering if Odo is left behind." As Christopher says, "the significance of this will become clear later."
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
