[Frodo Baggins]

Cromthal blinked a few times as Rirrym caught his attention.

"Hmm? Well, there's a lot I don't remember that Mithrandir told me about when I was partially concious. He told me that he was wandering along the banks of the River when he saw my horse. He told me he knew a creature so magnificent could not be wild, plus she still had the baggage I had strapped to her. A few feet later he found the baggage pony. They moved away from him in such a way he said that he saw they wanted him to follow them. He said Seargal especially acted that way.

"He found me not far from the bank, draped over a tree trunk that had fallen into the water, half drowned. "Is this what you wanted me to find?" he asked Seargal. He dragged me, soaking wet and partially concious out of the cold water. He examined me, he said, and found I was alive, but just barely. He knew I was a man, but he wasn't sure from where until I later confirmed to him what I was.

"The first clear thing I remember was coughing up a trmendous amount of cold water. I remember I felt relly cold too. I think I remember someone's hand on me and speaking to me, but I can't remember what they said. After that everything went dark and I don't remember anymore.

"The next thing somewhat remember is lying on or in something warm, but I was in and out of conciousness for a while. I remember an arm under my head and giving me somethign to drink. It was warm, but what it was I don't remember. I slipped back into darkness after that."

Cromthal wasn't totally paying attention to what he was doing and slipped the end of his figer into the nearly boiling water. He drew it away with a short gasp and cursed in his own tongue under his breath.