[Erendis]

I don't remember who said that the lack of patrolling in Bree and the Shire after the summoning of the Grey Company indicates that they were too few and possibly lessened after the attack at Sarn Ford,but this attack was done before the Hobbits reached the Pancing Pony.

Of cource ,the answer to that is that it happened only ONE week before.However,if the Rangers fighting in Sarn Ford were such a number that their defeat caused such an elimination,wouldn't this gathering be mentionned by somebody-implying Burlyman-?No matter how vast Eriador was,if they were rarely seen,wouldn't a team of at least 30 be, a surprise?Because according to this theory the warriors must have been 100 or so.But if so,how did these people manage to survive through almost half an Age of attacks,plagues,the Winter and who knows what else having so few defenders?

Bearing in mind that Ghudaband is quite close,a population of several hundreds defending their own households seems a rather logical explanation.