I think that much of the text in "A Knife in the Dark" suggests some passage of time between the arrival of the first Nazgul and the attack..
Quote:
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As he stared out into the gloom, a black shadow moved under the trees; the gate seemed to open of its own accord and close again without a sound. Terror seized him. He shrank back, and for a moment he stood trembling in the hall. Then he shut and locked the door.
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The first Nazgul arrived and merely opened and closed the gate. I don't know if he changed his mind about attacking and waited for back up or if he was doing this as a terror tactic.
Quote:
The night deepened. There came the soft sound of horses led with stealth along the lane. Outside the gate they stopped, and three black figures entered, like shades of night creeping across the ground. One went to the door, one to the corner of the house on either side; and there they stood, still as the shadows of stones, while night went slowly on. The house and the quiet trees seemed to be waiting breathlessly.
There was a faint stir in the leaves, and a cock crowed far away. The cold hour before dawn was passing. The figure by the door moved. In the dark without moon or stars a drawn blade gleamed, as if a chill light had been unsheathed. There was a blow, soft but heavy, and the door shuddered.
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"The night deepened" is an interesting sentence. I don't know what time qualifies as the deep of the night, but "deep" has an overtone of the middle or most intense part of something. As The Might already pointed out, "while night went slowly on" can imply a passage of time. The Nazgul didn't attack until just prior to dawn.
Quote:
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Fatty Bolger had not been idle. As soon as he saw the dark shapes creep from the garden, he knew that he must run for it, or perish. And run he did, out of the back door, through the garden, and over the fields. When he reached the nearest house, more than a mile away, he collapsed on the doorstep. "No, no no!" he was crying "no, not me! I haven't got it! It was some time before anyone could make out what he was babbling about. At last they got the idea that enemies were in Buckland, some strange invasion from the Old Forest. And then they lost no more time"
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Fatty didn't make a run when he saw the first shadow move under the trees, he ran when he saw "dark shapes creep from the garden". The words imply that he waited until all three Nazgul were there and moving toward the house.
The text seems to indicate that the Nazgul came and stood by the house while the night went slowly on and the house and the quiet trees waited breathlessly. Again, the sense of time passing.
Fatty had to run over a mile to the nearest house. His name suggests that he was not an accomplished long-distance runner, however fear and terror very likely put speed to his feet! But, once there, "It was some time" before anyone could figure out what he was saying. ONce they understood, they lost no more time in action. The Horn-call of Buckland sounded just as the Nazgul passed swiftly into the house.
So the Nazgul, at the very least, waited the amount of time for a fat hobbit to run over a mile and in a highly excited state of mind finally communicate the danger to others.
Thanks for all the great comments on this thread.
Another interesting fact of the Crickhollow event...the Nazgul carring Frodo's cloak and dropping it on the step as they ran.