That night, Black Riders simultaneously attack Frodo's house in Buckland and ransack his inn room at Bree. In the morning, the hobbits discover that all the horses have been driven out of the stable. They manage to buy a half-starved pony, whom Sam immediately calls Bill, to carry supplies, and they set off with Strider. After traveling through marshlands and hills, they come to the ruined watchtower on Weathertop. Strider finds evidence that Gandalf may have been there before them, but he is not certain.
That night, five Black Riders attack their camp on the hillside. As they approach, Frodo feels compelled to put on the Ring. Unable to resist, he puts it on and finds himself able to see the Riders clearly. The Ringwraiths appear to be men, robed and armed with silver knives. Frodo calls the name of Elbereth and strikes at their leader, but he is stabbed in the shoulder. Struck by a deathly enchantment as well as the blade, he barely manages to remove the Ring before he faints.
With Frodo wounded, the Black Riders allow themselves to be driven off. Strider treats the injury with athelas, a plant considered a weed by most but having healing properties. He knows that Frodo must be taken to Rivendell as quickly as possible, because the blade which injured him carries an evil enchantment that only Elrond can dispel, but they still have two weeks to travel. Even with Frodo riding the pony, he becomes weaker each day. Finally they return to the Road, where they meet Glorfindel, an elf-lord sent to search for them. As they approach the Ford of Bruinen at the boundary of Rivendell, five Riders appear close behind them while four others try to cut off Frodo's escape.
Frodo passes the Ford barely ahead of the Nine. They call out for his surrender, and he feels the compulsion of their wills against his own. Nevertheless, he defies them, and they urge their horses into the water. A magical flood rises against this invasion of Elrond's territory, and Frodo watches as it carries the Riders away even as he falls into unconsciousness.
