I finally found my copy of
The History of Middle Earth: Volume VIII: The War of the Ring. Thought that I had donated it to charity, or that it was lost in the move. Regardless, here is what it has to say about Gandalf and the Witch-King (text exactly as it appears except where I have bolded it):
Quote:
There Gandalf stood. And then over the hill in the flare of the fire a great Black Horseman came. For a moment he...halted menacing, and lifted up a great ...sword red to the hilt. Fear fell on all .......Then great rams went on before, but the steel only shook and boomed. The Black Captain.....lifted again his hand crying in a dreadful voice. In some forgotten tongue he spoke crying aloud words of power and terror. Thrice the rams boomed. Thrice he cried, and then suddenly the gate as if stricken by some blast burst [?asunder], and a great flash as of lightning, burst and fell, and in rode the Lord of the Nazgūl. But there waiting still before the gate sat Gandalf, and Shadowfax alone among the free horses of the earth did not [?quail] but stood rooted as an image of grey marble.
'You cannot pass,' said Gandalf. 'Go back to the black abyss prepared for you, and fall into nothingness that shall come upon your Master.'
The Black Rider [?lay for laid] back his hood and .....crown that sat upon no visible head save only for the light of his pale eyes. A deadly laughter [?rang] out.
'Old fool,' he said. 'Old fool. Do you not know death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain. This is my hour of victory.' And with that he lifted his great sword [Added:And then suddenly his hand wavered and fell and it seemed that he shrank.] And [>For] in that very moment away behind in some courtyard of the city a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of wizardry or war, welcoming only the morning that far above the shadows of death was now coming once again.
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns, great horns of the north wildly blowing. The riders of Rohan had come at last.
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It seems to me that in this earlier draft the Witch-King's power waned suddenly when day broke and he faced Gandalf. Surely you will argue that it was the changing of the weather, and not Gandalf, that weakened the Witch-King. My counter will be that the rising of the sun and blowing of the wind - and horns - does not make the Witch-King quit the battle, but to seek prey with which he may stand a chance.
Not in any draft, but it is rumored that Gandalf, hearing the cock crowing in the distance, absentmindedly said, "Chicken." Pippin, and others witnessing the exchange, tied the word to the shrinking and retreat of the Witch-King, and so made 'chicken' the epithet that we have today.