The tavern was crowded, as usual and even though a haze of sweet-smelling smoke from several varieties of pipeweed permeated the common room, it was still easy enough to ascertain the identities of a few of the patrons right away from the sound of their voices, the loudest of course, being that of the miller’s son, Ted Sandyman. He was in the midst of a conversation with Porto Goodbody and Folco Boffin.
"I say never trust a hobbit who isn’t wary of the Outside." He was saying.
"What’s that again?" Sam asked as we joined them.
Porto spoke up. "We were talkin’ about that peddler that’s been goin’ about...what’s his name?"
"Olo Potts." I answered, and Folco regarded me with one slightly raised eyebrow.
"That’s the name!" Porto exclaimed. " He claims to have traveled to Bree and beyond. Says that a lot of the things he has for sale even come from as far away as the Misty Mountains."
Ted snorted in derision and took a swig of his ale.
"I hear tell that most of the goods he was trying to unload looked as if they had seen better days." Folco declared as he prepared to light his pipe. "At any rate, I don’t think I’d care to purchase anything from him. Would you Frodo?"
I hesitated an instant before replying, "I suppose that would depend on if any of the items he was peddling happened to be something I might find useful...or appealing."
Ted responded with a short laugh. " I can’t imagine anything comin’ out o’ that cart o’ his that would fill either of those requirements!"
I noticed that during this entire discussion, Sam hadn’t said a word. Indeed, the more the other three said about Mr. Potts and his wares, the lower Sam seemed to scrunch in his seat. I also noticed that the little box was now completely out of sight, within the confines of his jacket, I suspected.
Just then, we were joined by Tolman Cotton and a few of his companions. Tolman seemed rather excited about something. As it turned out, he had also had an encounter with Mr. Potts. It was beginning to appear that if the peddler wasn’t exactly as well-traveled as he claimed, at the very least he certainly got around.
"That Potts fellow came by our place early this morning," said Tolman, "and talked Mum into buying some sort of tonic. ‘E promised it would ease ‘er aches and pains and make ‘er feel young again. It set me to thinkin’ that if it could give older folks extra get up and go, it might work even better for younger folk. I figured I could use some extra energy to ‘elp me get my chores done quicker."
"Don’t tell me you bought some of that horrible smellin’ stuff?" Said Porto.
Tolman’s answer was to pull a bottle out of his coat pocket, a bottle with a familiar label that read, Dr. Otton’s Famous Feel Good Tonic, although this particular bottle was neither the same shape nor colour as the one that Potts had proffered to Sam and me.
"Are you daft?" Ted nearly crowed. "Leave it to you to buy something like that!"
" ‘E ain’t the only one."
Every eye turned to Sam, who looked both angry and embarrassed at the same time. "But it don’t mean we’re daft."
"Sam, surely you didn’t?" Folco asked.
Sam nodded hesitantly, then fished the bottle of tonic that he had purchased earlier that day from his own jacket pocket. I was more than a little surprised. I was well aware he had brought along his prized Ka’mel, but I had no idea that he’d also been toting the rather questionable elixir. He placed it on the table, as he explained somewhat sheepishly, "Oi bought some tonic so’s Oi could get this..." Whereupon he opened his coat and brought forth the wooden box. This too, he sat on the table. There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at the box with its curious symbols. I groaned inwardly, clinging to the slim hope that at least one or two of the others might find the contents of the box as fascinating as Sam had, thus sparing him any further embarrassment.
Slowly, Sam opened the box and my hopes were dashed as I heard first one snicker, then another, punctuated by Ted Sandyman’s ridiculing hoot, "What in the Shire is that?"
"A Ka’mel." Sam replied.
"A Ka’mel?" Tolman echoed.
" Never heard of such." Porto declared. "Looks sort of like a starving pony, and a deformed one at that!"
"No, it’s no pony...." Folco mused. "But I do believe it’s the ugliest goat I’ve ever seen."
Sam set his jaw and answered in a determined voice. "It’s a Ka’mel, from the Sunlands. A very rare-"
"And revered animal." Porto finished, as Ted practically howled with glee.
Within those few seconds Sam’s expression went from bafflement to anger."Now wait just a minute," he fumed, "This ‘ere Ka’mel was owned by a very wealthy queen. Why, look at the gold an’ jools on it!"
It was at that very moment that one of the alleged jewels, one of the ‘genuine’ rubies, to be exact, happened to fall off the Ka’mel statue. In a flash, Ted, grabbed it.
Just as quickly, Sam rose from his seat. " ‘Ere now! Give that back!"
Too late, Ted brought the ruby to his mouth and bit it, after which, he more than willingly obliged Sam’s request, spitting out the crushed jewel and flicking it back to him with a smug grin. "Looks to me like your precious jools are no more than coloured paste."
"No! That can’t be!"
"My friend, I fear you’ve been taken." Folco said, slapping Sam on the back as he went on to explain that from the reports he had heard, Mr. Potts possessed a great many ‘valuable’ carvings of rare animals, thus confirming my earlier fears that Sam’s Ka’mel was not an original or unique work of art.
Then Porto spoke up. "If the carving is a fake, I wonder what’s in the tonic."
"I’d be afraid to find out." Folco added.
"Probably nothin’ more than sugar water..." Sam ventured, his tone bitter.
"Well....why don’t you try it and tell us?" Suggested Ted as he looked from Sam to Tolman. "Or are you fellas afraid?"
"I ain’t afraid of a little sugar water!" Tolman retorted.
"Me neither!" Sam was quick to add.
"Well, go on then, both of you!" Ted prompted. "You could take a swig at the same time. Then tell us if it makes you feel good..."
I felt it was about time to interrupt Ted’s goading. "I don’t think that’s wise...you don’t know that it’s sugar water..."
Ted wasn’t about to let me spoil his fun. "Bugger off, Frodo." He snapped.
Sam and Tolman exchanged hesitant looks. "Might as well find out together." Tolman said as he reached for his bottle. Sam followed suit, picking up his own bottle. There was the sound of two corks being popped, followed by several comments of, "Phew!" as the fumes from the bottles offended nearby noses.
Then, a voice followed by another, and another, began to chant. "Drink it up! Drink it up!"
Just as they began to tip the bottles to their mouths, two big burly hands grabbed their arms.
"STOP! Don't drink it!"
Bravenet Blog 
Blog Community
Get a Free Blog
Manage your Blog
bravenet.com