LotR -- Book 3 - Chapter 10 - The Voice of Saruman

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The very last paragraph of this chapter struck me today. Treebeard pledges the Ents to watch over Isengard and Saruman. What he says is not an oath, so he could not be accused of oathbreaking later on, but it does sound like a promise, doesn't it?

Until seven times the years in which he tormented us have passed, we shall not tire of watching him.

That sounds like a very long time; however, Treebeard released Saruman a relatively short time later, a matter of weeks or months. Was Saruman's voice so powerful that an Ent broke his promise? That is a grave matter indeed!