Why did the Nazgûl drop Merry in Bree?

[Gordis]

Originally Posted by CAB

Doesn't Bree as seen in that map seem a bit large? Doing some (very) rough measurements and calculations, Bree would have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 hectares. I checked around the internet a little bit, but was unable to find any really useful/reliable information regarding the typical sizes of Medieval European towns. Even so, the impression I get is that 200 hectares appears too big, even when considering that the Bree we see in The Lord of the Rings was much less populated than during earlier days, when there was greater traffic on the roads.

Yes, CAB, I have just thought the same thing. The road through Bree from one gate to another on Fonstad's map is a mile long! It takes half an hour, presumably, to traverse the town. But well - what I have written below corresponds to distances given by Fonstad. Keep that in mind.

I have been re-reading the Pony and "Strider" chapters. Here are some points we might have overlooked.

1.The Isengarder, as evidenced by Butterbur, had arrived to Bree the previous evening (Sept. 28) with a company of other Dunlendings. Note that this company had to be let through by the nazgul B and C who were guarding the Greenway, while the WK (A) was in the Barrows. Strider must have known that the Greenway was blocked by the nazgul, so the arriving company was definitely suspicious to Strider from the start.

But another implication is that the Southerner only just made contact with Ferny himself (maybe they knew each other previously, maybe not). What about the nazgul H and I who passed through Bree on Sept 26? The Dunlending was not yet come. Did the nazgul make acquaintance with Ferny all on their own? Did they "chance" upon him or did they get the info about him from the Dunlending during his questioning on the road south of Bree? Did Harry Goatleaf sent them to Ferny? Anyway there is a possibility that on Sept 26 the nazgul didn’t meet Ferny at all, so maybe they didn’t go straight to Ferny’s house on Sept. 29. Perhaps they only got there following the Isengarder on his way out of the Inn.
Note here: Strider did say about Ferny: “Queer folk call at his house” I wonder did he mean the nazgul or the Southerner/other ruffians?

2. Important for Alcuin's timeline: Ferny and the Southerner and Harry DID NOT leave Pony together with the crowd of dissatisfied Breefolk. They left at least 10-15 minutes before them, if not more, STRAIGHT AFTER the Ring-trick. The rest remained excited, wondering and arguing about the explanation for quite some time, first with Butterbur, then with Frodo himself. In your time-line, Alcuin, you should correct Ferny’s column, IMO, making the three bad guys leave almost at the same time as Frodo has accident, about 9.47 PM.

So, if, as you say, Alcuin, Merry was by the front door by the time of Frodo’s accident, he may have not registered the exit of three inconspicuous men while he was gazing at stars. The exit of a whole crowd later he couldn’t have missed, so it is safe to assume the general exit occurred later.

My version of events:
9.45 Merry returns from stroll, gazes at stars. Frodo has “accident.” The Nazgul (H) is immobile in the shadows, watching the Common room windows from across the street.
9.47 Ferny+Isengarder quietly exit, turn south, Merry pays them no heed - he is still by the door.
9.49 The Nazgul (H) stirs and starts to follow after Ferny+Isengarder; he moves past Merry. (He had been opposite the windows of the common room, thus to the north from Merry and has to go south). His movement is observed by Merry and the Nazgul notices his awareness. The Nazgul lures Merry to follow, thinking to learn something useful from questioning the hobbit, if the Isengarder's report proves uninteresting. So they go south: Ferny and Isengarder are ahead, then the Nazgul, then Merry who has lost the sight of those ahead and falls behind.
10.05 Ferny and Isengarder reach Ferny’s house (It is about ¾ of a mile from Pony to Ferny’s house. It takes the Men about 15 min to get there) The Nazgul catches up with them and the Isengarder makes his report by the hedge.
10.10 Merry reaches Ferny’s house (it takes the hobbit about 20 min to get there). He overhears the conversation (Nazgul-Isengarder) by the hedge.
10.15 Merry faints from Black Breath and lies there. The Nazgul hears the rest of the news and forgets about Merry.
10.20 Nazgul H leaves Bree to send his comrade F to the WK. If the other two nazgul (FI) and the three horses are outside of Bree, it may take some time: about 45 min to find the others and to return back.
(that is my explanation why Merry had been left lying on the road for so long.)

3. Now let us return to the parlor.

Originally Posted by Alcuin

“Butterbur shows up with Gandalf's letter; sends Nob to find Merry”.

But a lot of time passes between Butterbur coming to the parlor and the sending of Nob to look for Merry. At least 15 min, I think. Thus Alcuin, you should postpone Nob’s departure to 10.30, IMO.

4. The account of the conversation in the parlor between the time Nob was sent to look for Merry and their return I read in under 15 minutes. But on Fonstad’s map of Bree the distance between the West Gate and South Gate is about a mile (by the road). Nob traveled this distance twice: Pony-West Gate – South Gate- Pony: so two miles overall. It had to take him about an hour to return to the Pony with Merry. Thus I place their return to the parlor at 11.25-11.30

10.30 Nob leaves the Pony, goes to West gate, then back to Pony (passing it around 10.50), then goes to South gate
10.50 Outside the South Gate Nazgul F leaves for Andrath with the news. The first nazgul H goes back, climbs over the gate and returns to Bree.
11.05 The first nazgul H returns to Ferny’s house, sees Merry still in a swoon on the road and orders Ferny and the Isengarder to carry him inside Bill’s house.
11.10. Nob comes to Ferny’s house (20 min from Pony), shouts and the ruffians drop Merry.
11.25 Nob and Merry return to the Pony (it takes them only 15 min, because they run all the way.)

What do you think?