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The Tale of Years summary for this date fits in all its essential events: ‘Crickhollow and the Inn at Bree are raided in the early hours. Frodo leaves Bree. Gandalf comes to Crickhollow, and reaches Bree at night.’
An hour before dawn, the Nazgûl attack the two places to which they have traced Frodo—his new house, and the hobbit rooms on the Prancing Pony’s ground floor.
In Crickhollow, Fredegar Bolger barely escapes. The horn-call of Buckland sounds for the first time in 100 years.
When they emerge from the parlour, Strider and the hobbits find the bedding in their rooms slashed. Mr. Butterbur is horrified: ‘Guests unable to sleep in their beds, and good bolsters ruined and all!’
Also, their ponies are missing. A search begins for any ponies for sale.
Strider and the four hobbits, walking east along the Road, set out from Bree in front of a crowd of onlookers. Bill Ferny—who earlier this morning sold them the scrawny pony who now carries their baggage—openly taunts them. He gets an apple in the nose from Sam as repayment.
Gandalf reaches Crickhollow. The door of Frodo’s new house is smashed open, and one of Frodo’s cloaks lies at the front door. Finding neither Frodo nor the Ring, Gandalf fears the worst and—not waiting to speak to anyone—rides east after the Nazgûl.
Once they are several miles from Bree, Strider leads the hobbits north off the Road. At first they follow a narrow path leading north-east towards Archet, but will soon leave the path and walk directly out east into the wild. They will remain north of the Road for a full week.
Gandalf reaches Bree. Butterbur confesses that the hobbits are gone—with Strider. ‘He got at them, in spite of all that I could do, and they took up with him.’
‘Ass! Fool! Thrice worthy and beloved Barliman! May your beer be laid under an enchantment.’ Gandalf spends the night.
Thanks to the fact that our modern calendar gives September 30 days just like the Shire Calendar, the events of October 1st follow on immediately from the events above, just as they should.
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