Chapter 21 Section 6 Taboo Pool

When Frodo awoke, he saw Faramir looking down at him.For a moment, his heart was filled with the fear of the past, he sat up straight and kept shrinking back. "There is nothing to worry about," Faramir said. "Has daylight come yet?" asked Frodo, yawning. "Not yet, but the night is almost over and the full moon is starting to set. Would you like to come and see? I have one other thing I need your opinion on. Sorry to wake you up, but would you like to come over?" "Okay," said Frodo, standing up, shivering as soon as he was free from the warm quilts and furs. There seemed to be some chill in the fireless cave, and the sound of the water seemed strange in the dead silence. Noisy.He put on his cloak and went away with Faramir.

Sam awoke suddenly with some alarm, and jumped up as soon as he saw his master's empty bed.Then he saw two dark figures, Frodo and a Man, standing before the dark archway, which was now flooded with pale light.He hurriedly followed, passing many humans laying on the ground on the road. When he reached the entrance of the cave, he found that the original curtain had turned into a shiny silk cloth, and many pearls were threaded on the silver thread: That is the magic of the bright moonlight.However, he did not stop to admire the sight, but turned to the other side and followed his master through the narrow exit of the cave wall.

They plunged down a dark passage, and up many damp stairs, until at last they came to a small platform dug in the rock, where a patio overhead gleamed in the moonlight. shine.From here, the stairs split into two, one continuing upwards, seemingly to the edge of the falls, and the other turning to the left.They went on along the latter, which zigzagged upward like stairs in a tower. At last they emerged from the darkness of the rock and were free to look around.They were standing on a flat rock without any support, and to their right, to the east, the torrent fell on many steps, and then it fell into a smooth channel dug out, foaming constantly. The falling water, with its chattering noise, was passing under their feet, into the dark opening on the left.A man stands on the edge of a cliff, looking down without saying a word.

Frodo turned and looked at the water turning left and right, and then he raised his head and looked into the distance.The sky was quiet and icy, and dawn seemed imminent.Farther away, a full moon was slowly setting.Pale mist surrounds the majestic valley below, a bay filled with silvery mist, beneath which flows the mighty Anduin at night, and beyond is pitch black, many white, cold, and distant as ghost's teeth Dotted with white dots; this is Irednimrath, the white mountains of Gondor hung with unmelted snows.For a moment Frodo stood silent on the high rock, and a chill ran down his spine: where would his comrades lie on this dark land, or rest by the river?Why wake him up and bring him here?

Sam was anxious to know, too, and so impatiently began to murmur to himself, which, of course, he thought only his master could hear: "It's a pretty sight indeed, Mr Frodo, but it has a chilling feeling about it. Not to mention the bone-chilling wind! What's going on?" When Faramir heard this, he replied at once: "The moonsets in Gondor. This is the beautiful sight that Isir saw before he died. It is the ancient Mount Mindoruan. This scenery is worth trembling a little, but, That's not the main reason I brought you here. As for you, Sam Weiss, I didn't bring you here, you just paid the price for your own carefulness, and I believe a glass of wine can overcome your tension. Come here, and Let's watch together!"

He went up to the sentinel at the edge of the darkness, and Frodo did as he did, while Sam stood where he was, uneasy enough about the high, damp platform alone.Faramir and Frodo looked down together, and they could see the white spray below, pouring into a great bubbling pool, and then rolling along the oval pool among the rocks, until they found a narrow exit again. , humming into flatter terrain.The moonlight still shone on the bottom of the waterfall, reflecting light on the waves in the pool.At this moment Frodo saw a small black figure standing on the edge of the pool, but, just before his eyes, the figure dived into the water, and fell as cleanly as a flying arrow into the mass of foam raised up by the waterfall. Landing cuts the water surface.Faramir turned to the people around him and asked, "Anbone, what do you think it will be this time? A squirrel, or a kingfisher? Is there a black kingfisher in the pond in Mirkwood?"

"No matter what it is, it's definitely not a kingfisher," An Peng replied, "He has limbs, looks like a human being when he dives, and looks very good at water. What is he looking for? He wants to find his way through the water curtain Enter our hiding place? It seems that we have been discovered. I have a bow and arrow with me, and I have also arranged archers on both sides of the pond like me. General, as soon as you order, we will shoot him dead immediately .” "May I?" Faramir turned quickly to Frodo. For a moment Frodo made no answer, and suddenly, "No!" said he, "No! I beg you not to do it!"

If Sam was brave enough, he might be the first to say, "No problem!" Although he couldn't see it, he could guess from the conversation of the people what they found. "So, do you know what it is?" said Faramir. "Come on, now that you've seen it, tell me why you spared him. In all our previous conversations, you've said nothing about this wretched creature." Companion, I will not ask further questions for the time being. We can wait until we catch him and bring him in front of us. I sent the most elite hunters to find him, but he escaped. Except for An Peng here, No one else has seen him at all, and he only noticed it last night. But now, what he is doing is much more dangerous than hunting rabbits in this land, and he has the audacity to come to Hannas Annan , now he can only die. I am very curious about this creature, he is so stealthy and cunning, he dares to swim in the pond before our hiding place, does he think that human beings will not be alert when they sleep at night huh? Why would he do that?"

"There are two answers, I think," said Frodo; "in the first place, he knows very little of Men, and though he is so cunning, your hiding-place is so secret that he may not even know there are Men hiding there." Inside. Second, I think he was attracted by a powerful temptation that overwhelmed his self-control." "He is drawn here, is he?" Faramir said in a low voice. "And does he know your burden, then?" "He does know, he has had it himself for many years." "He's the bearer?" Faramir gasped in surprise. "This brings up more mysteries, so he's chasing this thing?"

"Maybe, it's very precious to him, but that's not what I'm talking about." "Then what is this guy looking for?" "Fish," said Frodo, "look!" They looked down into the dark pool, and a small black head appeared on the other side of the pool, just in the shadow on the other side of the rock; there was a silvery flash in the pool, and a ripple.He swam to the other side, seemingly with the agility of a frog, while climbing out of the water.He sat down immediately, nibbling at something that had just shone silvery by the edge of the pool, the last gleam of moonlight now falling on the other side of the pool.

Faramir smiled softly. "Fish!" he said. "This desire may be less dangerous. Perhaps it is not. Hannes Annan's fish may cost him everything." "I've already aimed at him," An Peng said. "General, should I shoot or not? According to the laws of our country, coming here without permission is a dead end." "Wait, Amber," said Faramir. "It is not so simple. What do you think now, Frodo? Why should we spare him?" Frodo said: "This creature is very poor, he is only hungry, and he does not know the danger he is in; and Gandalf, Mithranda you say, he will ask you not Shoot him for these reasons, and he doesn't allow the elves to do it. I'm not sure exactly why, and even if I could guess it, I can't say it openly here. But the creature, in a way, seems to be My mission is closely related, and he was my guide until you found us and took us away." "Your guide!" said Faramir, "the thing is getting stranger! I would do many things for you, Frodo, but this time I will not let this happen: let the cunning fellow be free. Come and go, he may meet you again later, or even be taken by orcs, and reveal all he knows under threat and pain. We must kill him, or capture him, if not Get him quickly, and we'll have to kill him. But how are we going to catch this creature that comes and goes without a trace, if we don't use feathered arrows?" "Let me approach him quietly," said Frodo. "You may bend your bow and shoot your arrows, and if I fail, at least shoot me first, and I cannot escape." "Go, then!" said Faramir. "If he escapes alive, the fellow must be your faithful servant for the rest of his life. Take Frodo to the pool, Umber, and hurry, This guy has a sharp nose and ears, give me your bow and arrow!" An Peng snorted and led the way down the stairs, then went around to another staircase, and finally came to a hidden exit covered by bushes.After passing silently through the entrance, Frodo found himself on the southern bank of the pool.It was very dark now, and the waterfall was gray, reflecting only what was left of the moon in the western sky, and he could see no sign of Gollum.He walked a distance further, and An Peng walked behind him quietly. "Keep going!" he said into Frodo's ear. "Watch your right side. If you fall into the pool, there will be no one to help you but your fishing friend. Don't forget, too, that the nearby And the archers, though you can't see them." Frodo tiptoed forward, touching the ground with his hands like Gollum, and steadying himself.In most cases, the nearby rocks are very flat and smooth, slightly slippery.He stopped and listened. At first he heard nothing but the steady flow of a nearby waterfall; then he heard a hissing murmur not far away. "Fish, good fish, the white face is gone, baby, it's hard, baby. My baby is gone, yes. Dirty hobbit, stinky hobbit, leave us here, Gollum , babe followed, leaving only poor Sméagol. No, babe, damned humans, they'll take it, take my babe. Thief. We hate them. Fish, good fish , let's be strong, let's have bright eyes, strong fingers, yes. strangle 'em baby. strangle 'em all while we get a chance... good fish, good fish! " And so he went on and on, almost as endlessly as a waterfall, interrupted only by the noise of his eating.Frodo shuddered, and listened to his murmurs with pity and disgust.He wished this would stop, that he would never have to hear that voice again.Amber was not far off, and he could slip back, and ask him to let the archers go; and while Gollum was feasting, these men might come close enough to kill him with a single shot, with a well-placed arrow, That would rid Frodo of that hideous voice forever.But no, he must take care of Gollum, and the master must care for his servants because of their service, even if that service comes from fear.If it hadn't been for Gollum, they might have been lost in the Dead Marshes, and Frodo knew that Gandalf would not have wished that either. "Sméagol!" he called softly. "Fish, good fish," said the voice. "Sméagol!" he said a little more loudly, and the voice stopped. "Sméagol, the master is back for you, the master is here. Come on, Sméagol!" There was no answer, only a soft hiss, as if taking a deep breath. "Come, Sméagol!" said Frodo. "We are in danger, and if the Men find you here they will kill you. If you do not want to die, come quickly, come to your master!" "No!" said the voice, "Master is not good, leave poor Sméagol and go away with new friends. Master can wait, Sméagol is not finished yet." "There is no time," said Frodo, "and take the fish with you, come quickly!" "No! You must finish eating the fish." "Sméagol!" said Frodo, with great anxiety, "the baby will be angry, and I will take the baby, and tell it: let him swallow the bones, choke until he can't breathe, and never eat fish again." Come on, baby is waiting for you!" There was a sudden inhalation sound in the darkness, and Gollum crawled out of the shadows on all fours, like an obedient dog that had been summoned.He had a half-eaten fish in his mouth and another in his hand.He came up to Frodo, was almost face to face with him, and began to smell him.His pale eyes started to sparkle, and he took the fish out of his mouth and stood up. "Good master!" he whispered, "good hobbit, come back for Sméagol, here comes good Sméagol. Now go, hurry, yes, through the woods, while it is dark. Yes, come on, let's go!" "Yes, we shall be going soon," said Frodo, "but not at once. I will go with you as I promised, and I promise again, but not now. You have not fled yet. danger, I will save you, but you must trust me." "We must trust Master?" said Gollum doubtfully. "Why? Why don't you go at once? Where's the other rude hobbit? Where is he?" "Up there," said Frodo, pointing to the waterfall, "I must take him, and we must go back to him." His heart began to sink, and it seemed so much a deception.He wasn't worried that Faramir would let Gollum be killed, but he'd probably catch him and tie him up, and to the poor, cunning fellow, it looked like Frodo had tricked him. .He might never get Gollum to understand that this time he did it to save Gollum in the only way.What else could he do?He can only try to maintain confidence in both parties. "Come on!" he said, "or the baby will be angry, and we're going back up the river. Come on, come on, you go ahead!" Gollum crawled to a place not far from the edge of the pool and kept sniffing, showing a suspicious expression. He bent over and looked up. "There's something over there!" he said. "It's not a hobbit." Then he turned his head sharply, green gleams in his protruding eyes. "Master, master!" he hissed. "Cunning! Deceitful! Lying!" He spat, stretched out his slender arms, and twisted his fingers; at that moment, An Peng's black figure rushed towards him, and a strong hand pinched It grabbed his throat and suppressed him.He was writhing like lightning, his body was wet and sticky, he moved like a slug, scratching and biting like a vicious cat.But then two more humans emerged from the darkness. "Don't move!" said one, "or we'll fill you with arrows and turn you into a hedgehog! Don't move!" Gollum fell limp and began to howl and sob, and they bound him not so gently. "Easy, easy!" said Frodo. "He's not as strong as you. Try not to hurt him. He'll be quieter if you're careful. Sméagol! They won't hurt you." , I will go with you, and you will not be hurt. Unless they kill me! Trust the master!" Gollum turned his head and spat at him again.The person next to him picked him up, covered his eyes with a hood, and took him away. Frodo followed, feeling a great guilt in his breast.They passed through the opening in the bushes, and followed the stairs and passages back into the cave again.Two or three more torches were lit in the cave, and the people began to commotion.Sam was there too, casting odd glances at what the men were carrying. "Have you caught him?" he asked Frodo. "Yeah, but it wasn't me, I didn't catch him. In the beginning, he came because he believed in me. I didn't want him to be tied up like this. I hope everything will be fine in the end, but this process makes me feel uncomfortable. .” A man came up and gestured to the hobbits to go to a compartment at the back of the cave.There Faramir sat in his chair, and the oil lamp in the alcove above his head was lit again.He motioned for the two to sit down on the stool next to them. "Bring wine for our guests," he said, "and bring the captive before me." The wine was brought up, and An Peng came over with Gulu. He took off the hood on Gulu's head, helped him up, and stood behind to support him.Gollum blinked and squinted to assess the crisis in front of him.He looked wet and fishy (with a fish in his hand) like a poor little thing.His thinning hair hangs like seaweed on his head, and his nose flaps constantly. "Let us go! Let us go!" he said. "The rope hurt us, yes, it hurt, we didn't do anything." "Nothing?" Faramir scanned the poor fellow with piercing eyes, but there was no expression on his face, no anger, no sympathy, no surprise, nothing. "Did nothing? Didn't you do anything that deserved to be tied up, or worse? Luckily for you, it wasn't up to me. But tonight, you came to Trespasser's Dead where the fish in this pond will cost you dearly.” Gollum immediately dropped the fish in his hand. "No more fish," he said. "The price is not on the fish you catch," said Faramir. "If you come this way and see the pool, that is the only death sentence. It is by the entreaty of this Frodo here that I let you live Now, he says you've done at least some good things. But you've got to satisfy me. What's your name? When did you come? Where are you going? What's your purpose?" "We are lost, lost," said Gollum, "no name, no purpose, no treasure, nothing but an empty stomach. Only hunger: yes, we are hungry. A few small fish, a few stinky They said they were going to kill us when they gave us poor skinny fish. So wise, so just, so just!" "I am not wise," said Faramir; "but it is just, at least as fair as our little wits allow. Let it go, Frodo!" Faramir drew a knife from his side , to Frodo.Gollum misunderstood him, and fell on the ground in fear. "Come, Sméagol!" said Frodo, "you must trust me, I will not desert you, and, truth be told, it will do you good and it will do you no harm." He cut Gollum Rope around his wrists and ankles, and lift him up. "Come here!" said Faramir. "Look at me! Do you know the name of this place? Have you been here before?" Slowly Gollum raised his head and looked reluctantly at Faramir.Everything in the outside world seemed to have stopped, and he just stared intently at the clear eyes of the Gondor man, and there was a moment of silence.Then Gollum lowered his head, lay on the ground again, and said tremblingly, "We don't know and we don't want to know," he wailed, "Never came before, and never will come again!" "There are many locked doors and windows in your heart, and many more dark rooms behind," said Faramir, "but I know you are telling the truth this time, and it is wise. What are you going to swear, Convince me that you will never return, nor return to this place with a living person?" "The master knows," said Gollum, glancing at Frodo. "Yes, he knows, and we can swear to it if he will save us, yes," he said, crawling to Frodo's feet. "Help us, good master!" he wailed. "Sméagol swears to baby, swears to heart. Never come, never tell, never! No, baby, don't!" "Are you satisfied?" said Faramir. "Yes," said Frodo, "at least, if you will not take such an oath, you must do your law, and it is the heaviest of oaths. But I also promised that if he came If you are by my side, you won’t get hurt, and I don’t want to be a person who doesn’t believe what I promise.” Faramir sat for a moment in thought. "Very well," he said at last, "I hand you over to your master, Frodo son of Drogo, to decide what should be done with you!" "But, Lord Faramir," said Frodo, bowing, "you have not said what you intend to do with Frodo, and until you do, he will not be able to draw up any plans for himself or his companions. You I said to wait until morning, but now it’s almost dawn.” "Then I proclaim my resolution," said Faramir. "As for you, Frodo, by the power my king has given me, I declare that you may come and go freely in the ancient realm of Gondor. ;the only exception is this place, and neither you nor your companions shall set foot here again. This order will last for a year and a day, and then it will cease to be effective; unless, before that, you will come to Mina Stiles, meet the lord of the city and the prime minister of Gondor, and then I am willing to explain all this in front of him, and make this order valid for life. During this period, no matter who you take into asylum, they will be regarded as For my protection of it, and under the guard of Gondor. Do you agree?" Frodo bowed deeply. "I agree," said he, "and I am willing to take your command, and hope that my services will be of use to such a noble man." "It is of great help indeed," said Faramir. "Now, will you take this creature, this Sméagol, under your protection?" "I will shelter Sméagol!" said Frodo.Sam sighed loudly. Of course, he was not dissatisfied with Faramir's decision. In fact, he strongly agreed with it.In Shire, the same thing may require more words and more bows. "Then I must declare to you," said Faramir, turning to Gollum, "that you are still condemned to death, but if you act with Frodo, you will spare us for a while. But if If you are found by any of the people of Gondor that you have left Frodo, any one can kill you at once. If you no longer serve him, may death be upon you soon, whether in Gondor or Yes. Now answer me, where are you going? He says you are his guide. Where will you lead him?" Gollum made no answer. "I will not allow you to keep this matter secret," said Faramir. "Answer me, or I will withdraw my probation!" Still Gollum said nothing. "Let me answer for him," said Frodo. "He took me, as I asked, to the Black Gate, but we found it impossible to pass." "There is no passage into the Nameless Land," said Faramir. "So we turned around, and took the road to the south," continued Frodo; "and he said there might be a passage near Minas Ithil." "This is called Minas Morgul," said Faramir. "I don't know," said Frodo, "but I think the road goes straight into the mountain, into the valley on the north side of the mountain, where the ancient city is. The road goes into a deep ditch in the mountain, Then enter—the land that follows.” "Do you know the name of that road?" Faramir asked. "No," answered Frodo. "That road is called Cirith Ungol." Gollum drew a sharp breath, and began to speak to himself. "Is that the right name?" Faramir asked, turning to him. "No!" replied Gollum, and then he gave another low scream, as if stabbed by something. "Yes, yes, we heard it once, but is there any significance in that name? The master said he must go in, so we must find a way. There is no other way, no more." "There is no other way?" said Faramir. "How do you know? Who ever explored that dark realm to the fullest?" He lit Gollum thoughtfully for a long time.Not long after, he spoke again: "Amber, take this fellow, be nice to him, but don't let up. Sméagol, don't you jump into the waterfall either, the rocks below will tear you to pieces. Hurry up Leave and go eat your fish!" An Peng took the shivering Gollum aside, and the curtain that blocked the outside world was drawn up again. "I don't think you are very wise, Frodo," said Faramir. "I don't think you should go with this fellow, for he has a bad stomach." "No, not so bad as you think," said Frodo. "Maybe it's not all evil," said Faramir, "but fear eats away at his heart, and evil grows in him, and he won't lead you anywhere good. If you will Let him go, and I may safely take him to any place he chooses on the borders of Gondor." "He will not take it," said Frodo. "He will follow me as before, and I have promised him many times to protect him and follow him where he is going. You will not Ask me to break my promise to him?" "No," said Faramir, "but I would really like to ask you to do so privately, for it does not seem an evil to advise a friend to break his faith when he sees him binding himself to his misfortune. But , I still can't do it──If he is willing to go on with you, you can only accept him. However, I don't think your destination is the Cirise Ungar he said, even so, he is very concerned about the place There are also many things that I haven’t told you. I can clearly feel from his heart, don’t go to Cirise Ungol!” "Where can I go, then?" said Frodo. "Shall I go back to the Black Gate? How much do you know of that place to frighten you?" "There is no certainty," said Faramir, "that we Gondorians are no longer on the way to the East, and the young men have not even been here in their lives, nor have we entered the Shadow Mountains, and our knowledge of it All that is known comes from ancient intelligence and old rumors. But we are sure that in the way above Minas Morgul dwells some evil power, at the mere mention of the name of Cirith Ungol , the older generation and the history-reading scholars will be horrified and reluctant to say more.” "Long ago the valley of Minas Morgul fell into the hands of evil, and it was a land of terror and menace even when the Lord was driven far away, when much of Ithilien was still in our possession As you know, this city was once a proud and beautiful fortress, and a sister city to our city. However, it was captured by fallen humans when the Demon Lord first came to power, After the overthrow of the Enemy, these wandered aimlessly. Their leaders, it is said, were the Men of Numenor who had fallen into the ways of darkness, and that the Enemy gave them rings of power, which slowly devoured them: let them Became living ghosts, possessing terrible and evil power. After the devil king left, they occupied Minas Ithil and dwelt there, and they filled the city and the whole valley with corruption. The surface It looks empty on the surface, but in fact, there is an invisible fear living in the ruins. Nine kings hide there. After their secret preparations, the demon king returned again, and they became stronger .Then nine knights came out of the gates of terror. We had no way of resisting them. Do not go near their stronghold. You will be found by them. It is a place full of unrelenting fear. They Never let your guard down. Never go in that direction!" "But can you show me any other direction?" said Frodo; "you said just now that you yourself could not lead me into the mountains, let alone over them. But I must obey Elrond and others. I was instructed in the meeting that I must cross that mountain, and if I cannot enter it, I must at least try with my life. If I turn back because of the danger of this road, can I find any place to take me? ?Humans? Or elves? Will you let me take this thing back to Minas Tirith? This is what drives your brother crazy! And what effect will it have on Minas Tirith? Will there be two Minas Morgul in the future? They can look at each other and smile through the corrupted earth!" "I would not like this to happen," Faramir said. "Then what do you want me to do?" "I don't know, it's just that I don't want you to go down the path of death or torture, and I don't think Mithranda will choose this path." "Now that he is dead, I must find my way by myself, and we have no time to waste searching about," said Frodo. "Then I must send you on this journey of hopelessness and helplessness," said Faramir; "but at least remember my warning: beware of this guide, Sméagol, whose hands were bloodied before, I can see that." He sighed. "Alas, Frodo, it appears we must part, and you need no comforting words from me, nor do I think we shall have any chance of meeting again in this world; but, before you go, please Take my blessing for yourself and your people. You go to rest first, and we will prepare some food for you. I really want to know how this cunning Sméagol found this thing, and how Lost it, but I'd better not bother you now. If, in case you can escape from the magic world alive, one day, when we are leaning against the high wall, laughing and talking about past sorrows in the sun, you must tell me .Before then, perhaps in the future that cannot be seen in the hedrons of Numenor, I can only say: Treasure farewell!" He stood up, bowed deeply to Frodo, drew back the curtain, and went into the cave.