Page 11 (1/2)

The Land of Shadow

Sah left to thrust the phial back into his breast &039;Run, Mr Frodo!&039; he cried &039;No, not that way! There&039;s a sheer drop over the wall Follow ate they fled In fifty paces, with a swift bend round a jutting bastion of the cliff, it took theht froainst the rock they drew breath, and then they clutched at their hearts Perching now on the wall beside the ruined gate the Nazgûl sent out its deadly cries All the cliffs echoed

In terror they stuain and exposed them for a dreadful lanced back and saw the great black shape upon the battleh rock-walls in a cutting that fell steeply to join the Morgul-road They can of orcs, nor of an answer to the cry of the Nazgûl; but they knew that the silence would not last long At any in

&039;This won&039;t do, Saht to be dashing back to the Tower, not running away The first eneet off this road somehow&039;

&039;But we can&039;t,&039; said Sas&039;

The eastern faces of the Ephel Duath were sheer, falling in cliff and precipice to the black trough that lay between the, after another steep incline, a flying bridge of stone leapt over the chaslens of the Morgai With a desperate spurt Frodo and Sae; but they had hardly reached its further end when they heard the hue and cry begin Away behind theh above on the lowing dully Suddenly its harsh bell clanged again, and then broke into a shattering peal Horns sounded And now fro cries Down in the dark trough, cut off frolare of Orodruin, Frodo and Sam could not see ahead, but already they heard the tra the swift clatter of hoofs

&039;Quick, Sao!&039; cried Frodo They scrae Fortunately there was no longer any dreadful drop into the gulf, for the slopes of the Morgai had already risen almost to the level of the road; but it was too dark for theuess the depth of the fall

&039;Well, here goes, Mr Frodo,&039; said Sao Frodo followed And even as they fell they heard the rush of horsee and the rattle of orc-feet running up behind But Sa plunge down on to unseen rocks the hobbits landed, in a drop of no more than a dozen feet, with a thud and a crunch into the last thing that they had expected: a tangle of thorny bushes There Sa a scratched hand

When the sound of hoof and foot had passed he ventured a whisper &039;Bless rew in Mordor! But if I had a&039;known, this is just what I&039;d have looked for These thornsby the feel of theot on Wish I&039;d a&039;put that mail-shirt on!&039;

&039;Orc-mail doesn&039;t keep these thorns out,&039; said Frodo &039;Not even a leather jerkin is any good&039;

They had a struggle to get out of the thicket The thorns and briars were as tough as wire and as clinging as claws Their cloaks were rent and tattered before they broke free at last

&039;Noe go, Sam,&039; Frodo whispered &039;Down into the valley quick, and then turn northward, as soon as ever we can&039;

Day was coloo over the eastern riht The Mountain slare faded fro ever since they left Ithilien now see, stu rock and briar and dead wood in the blind shadows, down and down until they could go no further

At length they stopped, and sat side by side, their backs against a boulder Both were sweating &039;If Shagrat hilass of water, I&039;d shake his hand,&039; said Sas!&039; said Frodo &039;It only makes it worse&039; Then he stretched himself out, dizzy and weary, and he spoke no ain To his amazement he found that Sam was asleep &039;Wake up, Sam!&039; he said &039;Come on! It&039;s time we made another effort&039;

Sam scrambled to his feet &039;Well I never!&039; he said &039;Itime, Mr Frodo, since I had a proper sleep, and my eyes just closed down on their own&039;

Frodo now led the way, northward as near as he could guess, a thick at the bottoain

&039;It&039;s no good, Sae it This mail-shirt, I mean Not in my present state Even my mithril-coat seemed heavy when I was tired This is far heavier And what&039;s the use of it? We shan&039;t win through by fighting&039;

&039;But we may have some to do,&039; said Sam &039;And there&039;s knives and stray arrows That Gollu I don&039;t like to think of you with naught but a bit of leather between you and a stab in the dark&039;

&039;Look here, Sam dear lad,&039; said Frodo, &039;I ao on trying to get to the Mountain, as long as I canrateful I hate to think of the foul work youthe bodies to find it for me&039;

&039;Don&039;t talk about it, Mr Frodo Bless you! I&039;d carry you on o then!&039;

Frodo laid aside his cloak and took off the orc- it away He shivered a little &039;What I really need is soone cold, or else I&039;ve caught a chill&039;

&039;You can havehis pack and took out the elven-cloak &039;How&039;s this, Mr Frodo?&039; he said &039;You wrap that orc-rag close round you, and put the belt outside it Then this can go over all It don&039;t look quite orc-fashion, but it&039;ll keep you warmer; and I daresay it&039;ll keep you froear It was made by the Lady&039;

Frodo took the cloak and fastened the brooch &039;That&039;s better!&039; he said &039;I feel o on now But this blind dark see into my heart As I lay in prison, Sam I tried to re through the mill at Hobbiton But I can&039;t see them now&039;

&039;There now, Mr Frodo, it&039;s you that&039;s talking of water this time!&039; said Sam &039;If only the Lady could see us or hear us, I&039;d say to her: "Your Ladyship, all ant is light and water; just clean water and plain daylight, better than any jewels, begging your pardon" But it&039;s a long way to Lorien&039; Sahts of the Ephel Duath, now only to be guessed as a deeper blackness against the black sky

They started off again They had not gone far when Frodo paused &039;There&039;s a Black Rider over us,&039; he said &039;I can feel it We had better keep still for a while&039;

Crouched under a great boulder they sat facing back ard and did not speak for soh of relief &039;It&039;s passed,&039; he said They stood up, and then they both stared in wonder Away to their left, southward, against a sky that was turning grey, the peaks and high ridges of the great range began to appear dark and black, visible shapes Light was growing behind them Slowly it crept towards the North There was battle far above in the high spaces of the air The billowing clouds of Mordor were being driven back, their edges tattering as a wind out of the living world came up and swept the fumes and s skirts of the dreary canopy dirimedof a prison

&039;Look at it, Mr Frodo!&039; said Sa&039;s happening He&039;s not having it all his oay His darkness is breaking up out in the world there I wish I could see what is going on!&039;

It was theof the fifteenth of March, and over the Vale of Anduin the Sun was rising above the eastern shadow, and the south-as blowing Theoden lay dying on the Pelennor Fields

As Frodo and Sa the line of the Ephel Duath, and then they saw a shape, reat speed out of the West, at first only a black speck against the gli, until it plunged like a bolt into the dark canopy and passed high above the shrill cry, the voice of a Nazgûl; but this cry no longer held any terror for thes for the Dark Tower The Lord of the Ring-wraiths had met his doo&039;s happening!&039; cried Sa he wasn&039;t so sure And he was right there too Things are looking up, Mr Frodo Haven&039;t you got some hope now?&039;

&039;Well no, not hed &039;That&039;s away beyond theeast not west And I&039;in to see it in reat wheel of fire&039;

Saain at once He looked at his master anxiously, and he took his hand &039;Co I wanted: a bit of light Enough to help us, and yet I guess it&039;s dangerous too Try a bit further, and then we&039;ll lie close and have a rest But take a morsel to eat now, a bit of the Elves&039; food; ita wafer of le it as best they could with their parched h no h for them to see that they were deep in the valley between the ently northward, and at its bottom went the bed of a now dry and withered stream Beyond its stony course they saw a beaten path that wound its way under the feet of the ard cliffs Had they known, they could have reached it quicker, for it was a track that left the e-end and went down by a long stair cut in the rock to the valley&039;s botto swiftly to lesser posts and strongholds north-away, between Cirith Ungol and the narrows of Isenren

It was perilous for the hobbits to use such a path, but they needed speed, and Frodo felt that he could not face the toil of scralens of the Morgai And he judged that northas, maybe, the way that their hunters would least expect them to take The road east to the plain, or the pass back ard, those they would first search hly Only when he ell north of the Tower did he mean to turn and seek for soe of his journey So now they crossed the stony bed and took to the orc-path, and for so it The cliffs at their left were overhung, and they could not be seen froripped their sword-hilts and went forward cautiously

The light grew no stronger, for Orodruin was still belching forth a great fuher and higher, until it reached a region above the wind and spread in an immeasurable roof, whose central pillar rose out of the shadows beyond their view They had trudged for ht the Out of a gully on the left, so sharp and narrow that it looked as if the black cliff had been cloven by so down: the last reathered from sunlit seas, but ill-fated to fall at last upon the walls of the Black Land and wander fruitless down into the dust Here it ca strea south ran aiftly to be lost a towards it &039;If ever I see the Lady again, I will tell her!&039; he cried &039;Light and noater!&039; Then he stopped &039;Let me drink first Mr Frodo,&039; he said

&039;All right, but there&039;s rooh for two&039;

&039;I didn&039;t mean that,&039; said Sa that will show its badness quick, well, better me than you, master, if you understand me&039;

&039;I do But I think we&039;ll trust our luck together, Sa Still, be careful now, if it&039;s very cold!&039;

The water was cool but not icy, and it had an unpleasant taste, at once bitter and oily, or so they would have said at home Here it seemed beyond all praise, and beyond fear or prudence They drank their fill, and Sam replenished his water-bottle After that Frodo felt easier, and they went on for several s of a rough wall along its edge warned the near to another orc-hold

&039;This is where we turn aside, Sahed as he looked at the glooh strength left to find some hole away up there And then I must rest a little&039;

The river-bed was now soan to cross it To their surprise they ca down froes under the ardland, but it was not yet dead And here things still grew, harsh, twisted, bitter, struggling for life In the glens of the Morgai on the other side of the valley low scrubby trees lurked and clung, coarse grey grass-tussocks fought with the stones, and withered led bra thorns, some hooked barbs that rent like knives The sullen shrivelled leaves of a past year hung on theot-ridden buds were only just opening Flies, dun or grey, or black, marked like orcs with a red eye-shaped blotch, buzzed and stung; and above the briar-thickets clouds of hungry ear&039;s no good,&039; said Saot an orc&039;s hide!&039;

At last Frodo could go no further They had cli way to go before they could even coe &039;I must rest now, Sam, and sleep if I can&039; said Frodo He looked about, but there seemed nowhere even for an anith, tired out, they slunk under a curtain of bra down like a mat over a low rock-face

There they sat andback the precious lembas for the evil days ahead, they ate the half of what re of Faramir&039;s provision: some dried fruit, and a small slip of cured ain froain There was a bitter tang in the air of Mordor that dried the ht of water even his hopeful spirit quailed Beyond the Morgai there was the dreadful plain of Gorgoroth to cross

&039;Now you go to sleep first, Mr Frodo,&039; he said &039;It&039;s getting dark again I reckon this day is nearly over&039;

Frodo sighed and was asleep alled with his oeariness, and he took Frodo&039;s hand; and there he sat silent till deep night fell Then at last, to keep hi-place and looked out The land see and sly noises, but there was no sound of voice or of foot Far above the Ephel Duath in the West the night-sky was still di the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam sahite star twinkle for a while The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to hiht pierced hi thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking of himself Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his masters, ceased to trouble him He crawled back into the bra away all fear he cast hiether, hand in hand Sahed His sleep had been uneasy, full of dreaht hi virtue: he was stronger, e further They did not know the ti they had slept; but after a morsel of food and a sip of water they went on up the ravine, until it ended in a sharp slope of screes and sliding stones There the last living things gave up their struggle; the tops of the Morgai were grassless, bare, jagged, barren as a slate

Afterand search they found a way that they could cli scras, and passing through found thee of the last fence of Mordor Below them, at the bottom of a fall of so away into a forht The wind of the world ble fro away eastward; but still only a grey light caoroth There sround and lurked in hollows, and fumes leaked from fissures in the earth

Still far away, forty miles at least, they saw Mount Dooreat height, where its reeking head athed in cloud Its fires were now di and dangerous as a sleeping beast Behind it there hung a vast shadow, ominous as a thunder-cloud, the veils of Barad-dur that was reared far way upon a long spur of the Ashen Mountains thrust down froht, and the Eye turned inward, pondering tidings of doubt and danger: a bright sword, and a stern and kingly face it saw, and for a while it gave little thought to other things; and all its great stronghold, gate on gate, and tower on torapped in a brooding gloo and wonder on this hateful land Between the mountain, and about it north and south, all seemed ruinous and dead, a desert burned and choked They wondered how the Lord of this realm maintained and fed his slaves and his armies Yet ar the skirts of the Morgai and away southward, there were camps, soest of these was right below thee nest of insects, with straight dreary streets of huts and long low drab buildings About it the ground was busy with folk going to and fro; a wide road ran fro it

&039;I don&039;t like the look of things at all,&039; said Sa that where there&039;s such a lot of folk there must be wells or water, not to mention food And these are Men not Orcs, or &039;

Neither he nor Frodo knew anything of the great slave-worked fields away south in this wide realm, beyond the fumes of the Mountain by the dark sad waters of Lake Nurnen; nor of the great roads that ran away east and south to tributary lands, froon-trains of goods and booty and fresh slaves Here in the northward regions were the -planned war; and here the Dark Power,theth, had been checked upon its western line, southward and northward For thethe stroke And if it had also been its purpose to defend the Mountain against all approach, it could scarcely have done more

&039;Well!&039; Sam went on &039;Whatever they have to eat and drink, we can&039;t get it There&039;s no way down that I can see And we couldn&039;t cross all that open country crawling with eneet down&039;

&039;Still we shall have to try,&039; said Frodo &039;It&039;s no worse than I expected I never hoped to get across I can&039;t see any hope of it now But I&039;ve still got to do the best I can At present that is to avoid being captured as long as possible So we o northwards, I think, and see what it is like where the open plain is narrower&039;

&039;I guess what it&039;ll be like,&039; said Sam &039;Where it&039;s narrower the Orcs and Men will just be packed closer You&039;ll see, Mr Frodo&039;

&039;I dare say I shall, if we ever get so far,&039; said Frodo and turned away

They soon found that it was iai, or anywhere along its higher levels, pathless as they were and scored with deep ghylls In the end they were forced to go back down the ravine that they had cli, for they dared not cross over to the path on the ard side After a mile or more they saw, huddled in a hollow at the cliff&039;s foot, the orc-hold that they had guessed was near at hand: a wall and a cluster of stone huts set about the dark mouth of a cave There was no move as rew thickly at this point along both sides of the old water-course

They went two or three ht behind theain when harsh and loud they heard orc-voices Quickly they slunk out of sight behind a brown and stunted bush The voices drew nearer Presently two orcs caed brown and was armed with a bow of horn; it was of a s nostrils: evidently a tracker of sorat&039;s co the token of the Eye He also had a bow at his back and carried a short broad-headed spear As usual they were quarrelling, and being of different breeds they used the Common Speech after their fashion