[Kalimac]

Thanks for the answers, guys - I was just completely puzzled but this helps organize the possibilities somewhat [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img].

Eomer, I'd always been under the impression that the deer hunters were Wood-Elves, Mirkwood just doesn't seem like the kind of the place that men would want to live. Argh. It's confusing. Maybe, though, the boat was Elvish, but from a long time earlier - the Wood-Elves may not have been by that river for quite a long time, and the boat was just left there for whichever reason (which would explain why even an Elven rope decayed somewhat).

Though as Manwe points out, the Wood-Elves may not have been quite the rope-makers that the Lorien Elves were (and the Lorien Elves do seem a little more skilled in crafts in general; it's hard to imagine the Dwarves-in-the-Barrels trick getting past them). Still, it's a good bet that their ropes weren't exactly shoddy, so maybe the boat had been there for twenty or thirty years or so. I don't know why I was taking it for granted that it had to have been abandoned recently (and of COURSE an Elvish boat would have a strong sealant on it [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]).