Chapter 15 Section 1 The Tower of Cirise Ungol-2

"Well, it's not as bad as you think," said Frodo. "I was lucky in your absence. They didn't take all the stuff. I found it among the rags on the floor. Food. Of course they searched the bag, but I guess they didn't like the look and taste of Lambas, maybe more than Gollum. The elves' dry food was thrown everywhere, and some were killed. Crushed, but I put them all away anyway. There wasn't as little food as you said, but they took all that Faramir gave and cut my water jug." "Well, then There's nothing to say!" said Sam. "We've found enough to last a while, but water will be troublesome. Come on, Mr. Frodo, and let's get going! Otherwise, we'll have to It is useless to find a whole pool of water!" "You must drink before you go, Sam," said Frodo. "I will not budge on that. Come, eat this elf-bread, and drink your water-pot. water in the water! We have no hope anyway, and it's no use worrying about tomorrow, or maybe there won't be a tomorrow at all.

’ Finally, they set off.The two climbed down the ladder carefully, and Sam set the ladder down in the hallway next to the goblin's body.The stairwell was quite dark, but he could still see the mountains in the distance from the roof terrace, but the volcano seemed to have gradually stabilized, leaving only a lazy dark red.They picked up the two shields as last props, and moved on. The two slowly descended the extremely steep stairs, and the room behind them where they met again became quite warm in comparison.They came to the fortress again, where even the walls were full of fear; perhaps all the people in Siris Angotah were dead, but the sense of evil and threat had not diminished in the slightest.

Finally, they came to the exit leading to the square, and the two stopped at the same time. Even from this distance, they could feel the eyes of the watchers at the door.The two of them walked carefully through the corpses of half-orcs on the ground, feeling that every step became heavier, and every extra step was a serious test of will and limbs. Frodo had no strength left for such a struggle.He sat down. "Sam, I can't walk!" he murmured. "I'm going to faint. I don't know how." "I know, Mr. Frodo. Hold on! It's the door, and there's something queer about it. But I can get in, and I'm sure I can get out this time." .This time can't be more dangerous than last time. Come on!" Sam took out the starlight bottle that Galadriel gave them again, as if to reward his dedication and hard work, and to protect the two hobbits. Starlight sprinkled the entire square like dazzling lightning, but the two watchers remained unmoved.

"Kirsonnell! Il Bilusi!" For some reason, Sam suddenly remembered the elves he met in Shire, and the singing that drove away the black knights. "Aiya elenion ancalima," cried Frodo. The Watcher's resistance snapped like a thread, and Sam and Frodo staggered out; and then they flew, trying to escape as fast as they could from the dreadful sight of the lifeless gates and statues.Then there was a cracking sound behind them, and the foundations of the arch almost fell on them, and the whole wall collapsed into a heap of rubble.They escaped on the nick of time, the alarm bells sounded, the watchers screamed piercingly, and there was a response from the dark heights, and a winged monster rushed out of the black sky, and the terrible howls tore apart. dark clouds.

Transcoding: Dragon Knight Castle In fear, the two staggered on, and soon the road turned sharply east again, exposing them to the tower's sight.They peeked back and saw the huge black figure still perched on the wall of the fortress.Then the two entered a path between the rock walls, and joined the road leading to the Morgul along the steep slope.They came to the crossroads, but there were still no orcs around, nor any response to the howls of the Nazgul.However, they knew very well in their hearts that this silence would not last long, and the hunt would start at any time. "This will not do, Sam," said Frodo. "If we are really Orcs, we should rush back to the Tower instead of running for our lives. The first enemy we meet will see us through, and we must Get off this road!" "But we can't!" Sam said, "unless we grow wings." The east side of Ifilduas is barren, and there is nothing to cling to on the cliffs, and the mountains are straight. fell into the deep ditch below.Not far from the crossroads was a towering stone bridge; it spanned a deep ditch to the rugged rocky hills of Mogai.Sam and Frodo had no choice but to rush desperately for the bridge; but, before they reached the bridge, the howling began again.Immediately behind them was the tower of Siris Ungol, which went straight into the sky, and the rock wall above it reflected a terrible red light.Suddenly there was a startling sound of bells, and then all the bells and horns sounded, and there was an answer from the other side of the bridge.Frodo and Sam were in the deep ditch, shut out even from the light of the volcano, and so could not see anything outside; but already they heard the footsteps of iron shoes, and from the direction of the road came the hooves of horses. - "Come on, Sam! Let's go!" cried Frodo.They climbed clumsily onto the low wall next to the bridge.Fortunately, this place is not hundreds of feet above the ground like before. Here, the terrain of Mogai has become relatively gentle, almost level with the road.However, the light here is too weak, and it is impossible to see what is going on under the bridge.

"Well, I let go, Mr. Frodo," said Sam, "good-bye!" He let go, and Frodo followed.The hooves and the Orc's footsteps were close behind them now, with such unexpected results that if Sam dared to laugh he might have laughed aloud.The hobbits jumped down in fear of falling into the abyss, but in fact it was only a few dozen feet, and they landed in a bush that they didn't even think about. Sam lay there motionless, thankfully sucking on his cut finger. When the voices above him had all gone, he ventured to lower his voice and say, "Mr Frodo, my God, I never thought Mordor had vegetation! If I had known, I should have gotten out of the way. I I think the thorns on these trees might be a foot long, and all my clothes are full of holes, and I wish I had goblin armor!" "Armor is of no use," said Frodo. Same with the leather pants." They struggled for a long time to climb out of the bush, which was as entangled in thorns as claws.The two of them finally landed on their feet, and the cloaks on their bodies were all torn.

"Sam, we must go," whispered Frodo; "get into that valley quickly, and then you can go north, and do it quickly!" It seemed to be day again outside, beyond the darkness of Mordor. , the sun has just climbed out of the east of the earth, but it is still as dark as night here.The volcano ceased to erupt, and so did the red light on the cliffs, and the east wind that had been constant since they left Ithilien seemed to cease.They climbed down slowly and arduously, drilling between the rugged and strange rocks, and finally they could no longer continue down. After a while, they stopped and sat side by side against the boulder. "Now even if it's Shagra who gives me water, I'd definitely love to thank him!" says Sam.

"Never think so!" said Frodo. "It will only make it worse," and he stretched, and Frodo felt sore and dizzy, and was silent for some time.At last he struggled to his feet, but he was surprised to find that Sam had fallen asleep. "Sam, wake up!" he said, "Hurry up! We better keep going!" Sam struggled to his feet. said he. "I must have fallen asleep by accident, Mr. Frodo. I haven't had a good night's sleep for a long time, and my eyes will shut themselves rebelliously." Frodo led the way. Go as far north as you can, skirting the rocks at the bottom of many deep trenches along the way.However, he stopped again.

"Sam, that's not going to work," he said, "I can't help it, this chain mail is so heavy, I can't really hold it up right now. Even my mithril armor would get heavy if I got really tired. It's much heavier than mithril armor, but what's the use? We can't fight our way through." "But we might still need it," Sam said. "There are sometimes arrows on the battlefield, and, that Gollum is not dead yet. I don't want you to be left naked to surprise in the dark." "Look at me, brother Sam—" said Frodo, "I'm tired, and I feel hopeless." No. But as long as I can walk, I'll find a way to go up the mountain. The Lord of the Rings is torture enough, and the extra weight is so overwhelming that I have to take it off It. Don't think I am ungrateful, for I know you must have rummaged through those corpses for a long time to find this armor." "Mr Frodo, don't say any more! Even if I use my back, I will carry you Go there. Take it off you!" Frodo shuddered as he undid his cloak and threw his armor aside. "What I really need is warm clothing," said he, "if I either have a cold or it is getting cold." "You may wear my cloak, Mr. Frodo," said Sam.He unloaded his backpack and took out his elven cloak. "How about this, Mr. Frodo?" he said. "You can wrap the goblin's rags a little tighter, and tie the belt up again, and this cloak can be worn outside. It doesn't look like much." Goblins, but it keeps you warm. I bet it could protect you better than any armor, the Queen made it herself." Frodo took the cloak and fastened the brooch. "It's much better!" he said. "I feel lighter and I can go on now, but this darkness seems to seep into me. Sam, when I was lying in prison, I tried to remember the liquor. The way the bridge and the creek flowed through the Shire's mill, but I don't remember it now." "Mr Frodo, be quiet, it's time for you to talk about water!" said Sam, "If the Queen could see, Hearing us, I'd say to her, "My Lady, we only want light and water: clean water and common light are better than any jewel!" Well, it's so far from Lorien... ..." Sam sighed, gesturing at the towering Ifil, now a blurred shadow in the darkness.

They set off again.They had not gone far when Frodo stopped again. "Here's a black knight," he said, "and I can sense that we'd better hold still for a while." They hid under a boulder and looked westward for a long time without saying a word. No conversation.Then Frodo breathed a sigh of relief. "He walked by!" he said.The two stood up and looked at the scene in front of them in surprise.To their left, to the south, the mountains that had been but dark shadows were now graying, and behind them were growing brighter, and far away there was a struggle in the sky, and the dark clouds of Mordor were retreating, Strong winds from outside gradually blow these dark clouds back to their dark homes.From the slowly revealing opening, a faint light penetrated into Mordor, like a ray of sunshine in a prison.

"Look, Mr. Frodo!" said Sam, "look! The wind has changed, and something has happened. He can no longer control things, and the world outside is tearing apart his darkness inch by inch. I I wish I could see what's going on outside!" It was the morning of the 15th of March, in the Anduin Valley, the sun was rising from the east, and the south wind was blowing the earth, and Theoden was at Palan Sacrifice on the Connaught Plain. Before Frodo and Sam's eyes, the light began to spread along the peak of Iphildus, and then they saw a figure flying from the west.At first it was just a dot in the sky, then it became like a smear in the sky, and at last it passed over their heads; before it disappeared, it made a piercing scream, the voice of the Nazgul.But the sound no longer frightened them: it was the sound of pain, of fear, of the bad news the Dark Tower had feared—that the Lord of the Nazgul had been slain. "I told you! Something must have happened!" Sam yelled. "'The battle is going well!' said Shagra, but Gorbag ​​wasn't as confident, and he actually guessed right. There seems to be hope, Mr. Frodo, do you feel more refreshed?" "No, not really, Sam," sighed Frodo. "It was on the other side of the mountain, and we were going east, not west. I was so tired, Sam, and the ring was getting so heavy, it started to keep coming to my mind like a wheel on fire Same." Sam's excitement was instantly quenched, and he looked nervously at his master, took his hand and said, "Don't be discouraged, Mr. Frodo!" He said, "At least I have my wish: there is no Is there a light? At least it can make us see more clearly, but it also becomes more dangerous. Let’s take a few more steps, and then we can try to rest. Let’s eat something first, the dry food of the elves should make it easier You cheer up." The two shared a piece of lambas, chewed as much as they could with their chapped lips, and continued on their way.Although this was only an extremely faint gray light, it was enough for them to see clearly that they were in the canyon between the hills.As the gorge climbed slowly to the north, and what seemed to be a stream at the bottom, they found a well-trodden road through the rocky terrain, leading along the cliffs to the west.If they had known a way beforehand, they might have taken it in that direction, for it branched off from the Highway to the Morgul, and led directly into the valley by a steep staircase.This was the customary shortcut used by patrols or couriers, allowing them to reach the outpost below or the fortress to the north relatively quickly—Kalachi Angnam between Cirith Ungol and the Pass. It is dangerous for hobbits to walk this way.But Frodo felt that they could not venture across the rough and intricacies of Morgai, and that they could lose no time, and he judged that the north was the last direction their pursuers expected.Whether it was the way east to the plain, or the way back to the west, after the two had reached the north farther from the tower, he was ready to find a way to go east and embark on the last stage of his adventure.In this way, they embarked on that shortcut, along which they kept going.The cliff on the left has not retreated, and the path under the feet is very winding. Every corner, the two will hold on to the sword and step out carefully. The sky didn't get brighter anymore, and the Oroduin volcano still kept spewing out a lot of thick smoke. Under the strong wind blowing against the direction, the thick smoke kept rising to a height that was invisible to the naked eye, forming an extremely thick zenith.The two walked for more than an hour, until they were finally stopped by an unexpected sound—it was unbelievable, but there was no doubt that it was the sound of dripping water.In the cliff to the left of the two, there is a gap that seems to be split by a sharp axe, and there is water dripping continuously; perhaps it is the sweet rain that unfortunately fell on this place. Can fall into the gray and dead land.It flowed from among the rocks, cut through the trail, turned south, and disappeared into nothingness. Sam rushed towards it. "If I can see the Empress again, I'll tell her!" he yelled, "Before it was light, now there's water!" Then he stopped. "Let me first, Mr. Frodo!" said he. "Yeah, but it looks like it should be enough for two?" "I don't mean that," Sam said, "I mean, if it's poisonous, or has any bad effects that come on quickly, master, that's it." I'm better than you, if you know what I mean." "I understand, but, Sam, I think we should believe in the good luck, or the blessing. Be careful, though, it can be very difficult." Ice!" The water is cool, but it's not ice, but if they drink this water at home, they may spit a few times and complain about the greasy, bitter taste; but here, it's sweet It couldn't be described in words, and there was no need to worry about anything at all. The two drank their fill, and Sam filled the water bottle.Frodo felt much lighter after that, and they walked many miles together.Finally, they noticed a crude stone wall built in front of them, and they knew that they were probably approaching the settlement of orcs. "It's time we turned, Sam," said Frodo. "We must go east." He looked up to the edge of the valley. "I think I have some strength left to find a gap yonder." Pass, and then I must rest." The river bed was several feet away from the road above, and they struggled to climb up to cross the road, but they were surprised to find a trickle in front of many valleys. pools of streams.On the western edge of Mordor is a dying land, but it has not been completely ruled by death. Many creatures still struggle to survive here, living a life of pain and suffering.In the canyon on the other side, short, deformed trees still grow in the Mogai area, gray weeds struggle to survive among the rocks, and countless thorns spread around and entangle the few lands under the rocks.Some thorns have sharp and sharp thorns, while others have barbs like claws.The dead leaves that hadn't fallen last year were still hanging on them, rubbing against the silent air.Still, their maggot-infested buds were opening, and gray, brown, or black flies were flying about, all with goblin-like eye spots.Among the twisted plants, a swarm of hungry mosquitoes buzzed and circled. "The Orcs' clothes are not enough," said Sam, waving his arms. "I wish I had their thick hides!" At last Frodo could go no more.They climbed into a narrow ravine, but there was still a long way to go before the crest they had seen. "I must rest, and take a nap if possible," said Frodo.He looked around. In this desolate land, there seemed to be no other animals except the two.Finally, exhausted, they found a hollow behind the thorns and hid in it. They sat in the pit and barely ate something.They ate half of the food that Faramir had given them in Sam's knapsack in order to save the elves' dry food for the hard days to come.In addition to these dried fruits and smoked jerky, the two also drank some water.Although they drank a lot of water from the pool in the valley before, the two of them felt parched again.There was a sick smell in the air of Mordor that would evaporate the moisture from their mouths.Even Sam's heart was heavy when he thought of drinking water, and after Morgai they had to cross the great plain of Gorgoroth. He said: "Mr. Frodo, you need to sleep first, it's getting dark again, and I thought today would never end!" Frodo sighed, and before the other party finished speaking, he said Fell asleep.Sam resisted the incessant drowsiness and held Frodo's hand in a daze.He sat in silence until night fell, and then, trying to stay awake, he crawled out of the hollow to look out.This land seems to be full of cracks and dull sounds, but there are no human voices or footsteps at all. The night sky west of Ifilduas is still gray.Then, in the gap of the dark cloud that was blown by the wind, Sam saw a twinkling star, and the cold starlight was imprinted on his heart. When he looked at the land in front of him again, his heart was full of hope again.Because, he suddenly realized clearly that the shadow is only temporary, and there will always be light and beauty in the world that are not affected by it or polluted by it.His song in the tower was only out of anger, not really understanding it, for then he thought only of himself; now neither his own fate nor the fate of his master troubled him.When he crept back to the thorn bush, he lay beside Frodo, and putting all his fears aside, he fell into a deep, carefree sleep. The two awoke together holding hands, Sam feeling refreshed and ready for the day, but Frodo sighing listlessly.He slept very restlessly, his dreams were full of flames, and even when he woke up, he didn't feel any change.However, his sleep is not useless, at least, he is stronger and can carry that burden to the next stage.They didn't know the time, nor how long they had slept, but after eating some food and drinking a mouthful of water, the two continued to walk up the ravine, and finally came to a bare slope.Here, there is no life struggling to survive, and the top of Mogai is lifeless, empty as if it had been burned by fire. Frodo and Sam searched for a long time before they found a way to go, and they took the last few hundred feet to the summit.They came to a cleft between two mountains, and having passed through it they found themselves in the last defense of Mordor.About 1,500 feet below their feet was an endless plain. The wind was blowing from the west, and the black clouds were drifting eastward, but there was still only a gray gleam on the vast plain of Gorgoroth.Black smoke shuttled through the ground and grooves, and foul-smelling smoke kept coming out of cracks in the ground. In the distance of at least forty miles away, there is the Doomsday Volcano, almost all around it is an ugly terrain covered with volcanic ash. The huge volcanic cone reaches up to the sky, and the crater that keeps emitting black smoke is covered by dark clouds. block.Its anger temporarily stopped, and it seemed that the whole body was in the embers of the eruption, terrifying and frightening like a sleeping giant beast.Behind it was a huge black shadow that stretched all the way to the foot of the Ash Mountains.The dark powers were lost in thought, and the eyes turned inward, contemplating the sight that worried and threatened him.A dazzling holy sword, a stern, dignified face that belonged to a king... In a short time, he was unable to take care of other things.Every tower, every door, and the entire huge fortress are tightly surrounded by a gloomy atmosphere. Frodo and Sam looked upon the hideous land with mingled wonder and awe, and between them and the smoking volcano all seemed to be a scene of catastrophe, a blackened, dead place. desert.How on earth would the ruler of the land feed and care for his troops and slaves?However, even though it seemed impossible, he still possessed an extremely powerful army, and there were countless tents stretching all the way south along the outer ring of Mogai.Some tents are scattered, others are as orderly as a small town, and one of the largest camps is directly below them.On the plain, up to a mile from them, it flourished like an insect's nest, filled with buildings of distorted shape.On the nearby ground, there are many human figures coming and going, a road extends from the camp, and merges with the road leading to the devil's lair, and there are many black figures rushing along in a hurry. "I don't like it," said Sam. "It looks pretty hopeless; but as long as there are more people, there will be wells and food in the area. If we see right, these are humans, not goblins." He or Frodo knew nothing of the slave camps south of the plain, and of the great slave-working district by the Nonannen Sea beyond the smoke of the volcano; To the east and south is the land of Mordor's tribute, from which the soldiers of the Dark Tower bring great quantities of goods, tribute, and forced slaves.In the area to the north, there are many mines and steel factories, as well as amazing troops gathered for the great war. It is here that the forces of darkness dispatch troops and gather them together.His first moves had moved large numbers of troops west, south, and north.At this time, he withdrew his troops, and added a large number of new troops, and gathered all his troops in Cirrus Gergo, preparing to wash his shame.If his purpose of mobilizing troops in this way is also to prevent the enemy from invading, then indeed not many people can break through this line of defense. "Well!" Sam went on, "whatever they eat and drink, it seems we can't get it, I can't find a way to go down; and if we do go down, it can't be full of enemies everywhere and walk about in such conditions." "We may still try," said Frodo, "it is not much worse than I expected. Desperate, but still, I must try my best; for now, my goal is to keep the enemy from capturing as much as possible. So, continue to go north and see how it is in the narrower part of the plain." "I can guess what it will be like," said Sam. "The narrower the place, the denser the enemy will be, and we will know." "Perhaps I can see, if we can go that far." Frodo turned and went on. Forward. They soon discovered that it was impossible to continue along the edge of the bottom of Morgai, and even the higher ground was rough and difficult.In the end, they were forced to retreat back to the original ravine to see if they could find their way into the nearby valley.The road was quite difficult, and they didn't dare to set foot on the trail to the west. After walking for more than a mile, they found that, as they had speculated before, there was a fortress inhabited by orcs just under the cliff. Several stone houses at the entrance of a dark cave.There was no movement at all, but the hobbit still leaned over curiously, using the thorns growing in the old waterway to hide his figure as much as possible. They walked another two or three miles, and the goblin fortress had long since been left behind; but just as they felt relieved, they heard the hoarse voice of the goblin again, and they quickly hid in a growing tree. Behind incomplete shrubs.The sound drew nearer, and then two Orcs came into Frodo's sight.One was wearing tattered brown clothes and holding a horn bow. He was relatively small in size, with dark skin and a wide nose flapping constantly. He was obviously a species specially responsible for tracking; the other was a tall and strong fighting beast Orcs, like Shagra's subordinates, wear the mark of the magic eye on their bodies.He also carried a bow on his back, and in his hand was a short spear with a broad blade.They were still arguing as usual, and since they belonged to different kinds of orcs, they could only talk in the Common Tongue. Within twenty paces of the hobbit, the little orc stopped. "No!" he said loudly, "I'm going back." He pointed to the fort behind. "There's no need to waste my nose on the stone. I don't think there will be any traces. I didn't even follow the smell to make way for you. Let me tell you, that thing must have entered the mountain, and it won't come back. Walk along the valley!" "What's the use of your big nose?" said the tall Orc, "I see better than your nose." "And what do you see?" cried another "Humph! You don't know what to look for." "Whose fault is this?" The soldier said, "It's not my fault, it's the boss above. At first they said he was tall and in shining armor. elves, then small humans, and then a group of traitorous orcs, maybe this group of people combined." "Ah!" said the tracker, "they have something wrong with their heads, and this is the reason why is the biggest trouble. If I hear right, some bosses are going to die too: the tower was attacked, hundreds of your fellow men were killed, prisoners escaped... If you soldiers are like this, no wonder we There is only bad news in war!" "Who says there is bad news?" shouted the soldier. "Ah! Who said no?" "It's a traitor who says, if you don't shut up your mother's mouth, I'll stab you with this, understand?" "Okay, okay!" said the stalker : "I won't talk, just use my brain, okay. But what does that sneaky shorty have to do with this? The weird guy with webbed hands?" "I don't know. Maybe it doesn't matter. But I bet that guy is a sneaky guy , must be trying to do something bad. This bastard! As soon as he slipped away, the higher-ups told him to catch him alive." "Hmph, I hope he is caught quickly, so that he can suffer a lot!" The tracker growled: "He Mix up the smells here, fiddle with the chainmail the captain found, and scour all over the place before I can get there." "That's what saved him," said the soldier. "Well, I almost shot him before I knew the boss wanted him, from the back, about fifty steps away! But he ran away." "Bah! You didn't even shoot," said the tracker, " First you miss aim, then you can't run fast, and finally call in the poor tracker for backup. I've had enough!" He turned and walked away. "Come back," the soldier yelled, "or I'll report you!" "To whom? It won't be your Shagra, he can no longer be the captain." The soldier lowered his voice and said, "I will report Tell the Nazgold your name and military registration number, and I heard that the tower is now under their control." The other party stopped in his tracks, his voice full of anger and fear. "You bloody snitch!" he yelled. "You can't do your job, you can't even take care of your buddies. Go find you niggas and hope he freezes your flesh Drop! That's only if they don't get killed by the enemy first. I've heard that Big Brother has already been killed, hope it's true! The tall half-orc rushed over with a short spear. The tracker hid behind a rock and shot him in the eye with an arrow, and he fell down with a howl. The tracker ran back into the valley and disappeared before the two of them. . The hobbits sat silently, when at last Sam said, "Well, I am glad to see it!" said he: "If this cannibalism begins to spread in Mordor, we shall at least save half of it." trouble." "Hold your voice, Sam," Frodo whispered, "there may be others near. We have taken refuge, and the enemy is hotter than we thought. But, Sam, this is Mordor. The consistent style of the city has always filled every corner of it. According to legend, as long as no one manages, the orcs have always been like this, but you can't count on this. They hate us more. This will not and has not changed. Yes. If these two guys find us, they will immediately let go of their suspicions and join forces to kill us." The two were silent for a long time, and Sam spoke again, but this time he also lowered his voice: "You hear Did they speak of the furtive fellow? Didn't I tell you that Gollum was not dead?" "Yes, I remember, and I wondered how you knew," said Frodo. Well, forget it! I think we'd better not leave here until dark, so you can tell me how you know, and what happened in the middle. But you must speak quietly." "I'll try it," said Sam, "but I can't help but scream when I think of that stinker." And so the two hobbits sat behind the bushes, watching Mordor fade away. Covered by a dark, starless night.Sam described Gollum's treacherous sneak attack, the horror of Shelob, and all his adventures since.When Sam had finished speaking, Frodo took Sam's hand without a word.Finally, he spoke. "Well, I think we should go now, too," he said. "I don't know how long it will be before we get caught, and all this sneaking and sneaking will be for nothing." He stood up. "It's getting dark, and we can't use the starlight that the Queen gave us. Sam, keep it safe for me. Unless I use my hands, I have nowhere to put this thing on my body now. And, if you want to completely cover its glare I have to use two hands. I'll give you the needle, and I still have the orc's knife, but I don't think I'll have a chance to use it." Under the night, in this desolate的地方前进是相当困难的一件事情，不过，两名哈比人还是脚步蹒跚地沿着山谷往北走。当西方天空再度亮起、白昼降临许久之后，他们又找了个地方躲起来，轮流睡觉。山姆醒时满脑子都想着食物，最后，当佛罗多醒过来，提到用餐和准备再度出发时，他终于问出了最让他感到困扰的问题。 「佛罗多先生，请恕我直说，」他问：「你到底知不知道我们还要走多远？」「山姆，我不是很清楚，」佛罗多回答：「在我们离开瑞文戴尔之前，我曾经看过一张魔王回归之前的魔多地图，但我脑中只剩下很模糊的印象。我只记得北方有个区域，在那里，北方的山脉和西方的山脉延伸出来的山脚几乎交错在一起，从高塔旁边的桥算过去大概至少六十哩。从那边过去或许不错，不过，那里就距离火山比较远了，我想大概也是六十哩左右。 我猜，我们现在大概是在桥北边三十六哩的地方；即使一切很顺利，我们也得花上一星期才能抵达火山。山姆，我担心那负担会越来越重，而我的速度会越来越慢。」山姆叹气道：「我也担心会这样，」他说：「好吧，先别管饮水的部分，我们每天吃的东西得再少一点，再不然就得趁在山谷里时走快一些。我们只要再吃一餐，所有的东西就都吃完了，只剩下精灵的乾粮。」「我会试着快一点的，」佛罗多深吸一口气。「快走吧！我们又得出发了！」天色还不是很暗。两人继续前行，夜色这才逐渐降临。两人疲倦地不停走着，中途只停下来休息了几次，一看见西方天空边缘的光亮，他们就立刻找了个岩石底下的空洞躲了进去。 光线逐渐增强，比之前要亮多了，西方的一股强风将魔多的恶臭吹往高空。不久之后，哈比人就能够看清楚眼前几哩的地形了。在摩盖和山脉之间的山沟逐渐往上升，同时也越变越窄。到了这时，它也变成了伊菲尔杜斯山边的凹陷，不过，它的东边则是如常的陡峭，直落入葛哥洛斯平原。前方的水道来到尽头，成了布满岩石的斜坡，一道岩壁如同高墙一样延伸向东，从伊瑞德力苏绵延出来另一个绵长的支脉，在这两山之间是一个狭窄的隘口：卡拉其安格南，也就是艾辛口，在那之后则是乌顿幽深的山谷，位在摩拉南之后的乌顿山谷是索伦的仆人防卫黑门的坚强阵线，里面是错综复杂的隧道和兵器库；此时，魔王正仓促地召集大军，准备在此面对西方众将的攻击。在两边的山坡上建造着许多的堡垒、要塞和高塔，篝火终年不熄；沿着隘口又再兴建了一道土墙，除此之外还有极深的壕沟，只能靠着一道桥梁通过。 往北几哩的地方是西方山脉的支脉，上面矗立着古老的德桑城堡，不过，现在也成为乌顿山谷中众多的半兽人驻地之一。在这微光中看得出有一条道路蜿蜒而下，在距离哈比人一哩左右处转向东，沿着山脉凹陷的地方通往平原，以及远处的艾辛口。 当哈比人看着眼前的地势时，他们发现自己往北的旅程几乎可说是完全无希望了。右边的平原十分黯淡，满是烟尘，他们没看见任何的营帐或是部队移动的迹象；但是，整个区域都在卡拉其安格南上碉堡的监视之下。 「山姆，我们来到一条死路了！」佛罗多说：「如果我们继续走下去，我们只能走到那座塔那边，而且唯一能走的就是它门前的那条路，除非我们退回去。我们不能往西上去，也不可能往东下去。」「佛罗多先生，那么我们只能走那条路了，」山姆说：「我们必须赌一赌运气，希望运气这东西在魔多还管用。如果我们回头、或是再找别的路，那不如投降算了，我们的食物快不够了。我们得要拼拼看！」「好吧，山姆，」佛罗多说：「带路吧！只要你还抱着希望，就继续往前走，我已经彻底绝望了。不过，我真的跑不动了，山姆，我会紧跟着你的。」「在你开始紧跟之前，你必须睡个觉、吃个东西，佛罗多先生。来先吃一点吧！」他给了佛罗多一些水，和额外的乾粮，他也折了个枕头给主人躺。佛罗多太疲倦了，根本没力气争辩，山姆也没告诉他这是最后一口水，同时他所吃的连山姆的份也包含在里面。在佛罗多睡着之后，山姆弯身听着他的呼吸、看着他的面孔。他的脸孔十分瘦削，但是，在睡梦中的神情却显得十分祥和，毫无所惧。「好啦，主人！」山姆自言自语道：「我必须要暂时离开一会儿，相信我们的好运。我们一定要找到水，不然就走不下去了。」山姆悄悄离开，小心翼翼地在岩石间穿梭，他走回水道，沿着它往北攀爬了一段路。直到他来到连续的岩阶前，毫无疑问的，许久以前，这里曾经涌出泉水，形成一个小小的瀑布，现在一切似乎都乾枯了。但山姆不肯放弃，他侧耳倾听着，果然听见了水滴的声音。他又往上爬了几步，发现了一条从山边流出的细流，在他脚前汇聚成一个黑色的池子，满溢的池水接着往底下的荒地流去。 山姆尝了尝那水的滋味，应该算是够好了，然后他喝了一大口，装满水壶，转身准备走回去。就在那一瞬间，他发现有一道影子从佛罗多躲藏的地方一跃而过。山姆立刻强压下惊呼声，飞奔回去。那个身影十分矮小，不容易看清楚，但山姆猜也猜得到对方是谁──他老早就想要把对方勒死了。不过，对方听见了他的脚步声，很快就消失不见。山姆觉得对方的身影似乎还是回头看了一眼，然后才彻底融入夜色之中。 「幸好，我们的好运没让我失望，」山姆嘀咕着：「不过这可真是好险！附近的半兽人怕没有几千个，还要这个小坏蛋来凑热闹？我真希望他当初就被射死了！」他在佛罗多身边坐了下来，不敢将他吵醒。不过，他自己则是不敢睡着。最后，当他觉得眼皮变得如同千斤般沉重，知道自己再也撑不下去时，他叫醒了佛罗多。 「佛罗多先生，咕鲁又来了，」他说：「如果我看到的不是他，那他就一定有双胞胎兄弟了。我刚刚去找水，一转头就发现他在这边鬼鬼祟祟的。我们两个如果一起睡很危险，而且实在很抱歉，我真的撑不住了。」「山姆哪，你不要对自己太严厉了，」佛罗多说：「躺下来好好睡！我宁愿对方是咕鲁，不是半兽人，至少，他不会把我们出卖给半兽人，除非连他也被抓到……」山姆忿忿不平地说：「不过，他也会杀人或是抢东西，佛罗多先生，睁大眼睛哪！我有满满一壶的水，你尽管喝没关系，我们出发时还可以重新装满。」一说完，山姆立刻就睡着了。 当他醒来时，天色又已经逐渐变暗了，佛罗多靠着岩石坐着，但连他也睡着了。水壶空了，附近也没有咕鲁的踪影。 魔多的黑暗又回来了，山坡上的了望塔燃着又红又烈的火焰。他们先去把水装满，然后再回到原先的道路，朝着二十哩之外的艾辛口进发。这并不是条很宽的路，两边也没有任何的遮蔽，随着道路不停往前进，它两旁的悬崖也变得越来越陡峭。哈比人听不见任何的风吹草动，因此决定继续稳定往东前进。 再走了大约十二哩之后，他们停了下来。在不远之前，这条路往北弯了一些，因此，他们之前所经过的地方全被山势挡住了，这是不幸的开始。两人休息了一段时间，继续往前走，但他们没走几步，在黑暗的夜色中突然传来了他们一直担心的声音：整齐划一的脚步声。 目前它离两人还有一段距离，不过后方已经出现了火把的微光，而且就在不到一哩远的地方，正在快速逼近中，佛罗多根本无法在这种速度下，沿着这条路躲过他们。 「我一直担心会这样，山姆，」佛罗多说：「我们相信运气，但这次它不灵光了，我们被困住了！」他慌乱地看着附近陡峭的岩壁，这是古代的开路者所雕凿出来的光滑山壁，毫无躲藏的空间。他跑到另外一边，发现眼前是看不见底的黑暗深渊。「我们真的无路可逃了！」他靠着山壁，无力地坐倒下来。 「看来是这样，」山姆说：「好啦，我们只能走着瞧了！」话一说完，他就和佛罗多一起坐了下来。 他们没有等很久，半兽人的速度很快，在最前面的人拿着火把，他们飞快靠近，火光在黑暗中摇曳着。山姆这时也低下头，希望能够在火把靠近的时候遮住自己的脸，同时，他也将盾牌拿到前面，刻意遮住两人的脚。 「希望他们在赶路，可以让两个疲倦的士兵在路旁休息！」他想。 看起来他们本来是有这个希望的。带头的半兽人低着头、气喘吁吁地往前跑。他们是比较矮小的半兽人，是在黑暗魔君的军令之下不情愿的疾行军的家伙，他们只想要赶快走到目的，躲过鞭子的痛击。在他们身边跑来跑去维持秩序的，则是两名高大的强兽人，他们不停地挥舞鞭子，大声斥骂。一列又一列的人走了过去，山姆屏住呼吸，队伍已经过了一半。然后，突然间，一名负责驱赶奴隶的士兵发现了他们俩，他用力一甩鞭子，吆喝道：「嘿！你们两个！站起来！」他们没有回答，他大喝一声，号令整个队伍停下来。 「起来，你们两个懒虫！」他大喊着：「这不是休息的时候！」他往前走了一步，在黑暗中依旧认出了他盾牌上的标记。「逃兵喔？」他怒吼着：「还是正准备要逃？你们这些家伙在昨天傍晚就该到乌顿了！你们不可能不知道。给我站起来，走进队伍里面！不然我就记下你们的兵籍号码往上报！」两人挣扎着站起来，刻意弯着腰，一拐一拐地装成腿酸的士兵。两人缓缓地钻到队伍的最后面。「不，不是后面！」士兵大喊着：「往前三排！就保持那个位置，不然等我来的时候你就知道了！」他在两人头上将鞭子甩出一声爆响，大喝一声，队伍又开始前进。 对可怜的山姆来说，他已经快要撑不住了，但对佛罗多来说简直就是酷刑，很快就成了噩梦。他咬紧牙关，不让自己的脑袋多想，挣扎着继续前进。汗流浃背的半兽人散发出让人欲呕的气味，他开始觉得口乾舌燥，队伍不停前进，他用尽所有的意志力让自己保持呼吸，双腿无意识的挪动。但是，在经历过这种折磨和忍耐之后，他会面对什么样的结局？他完全不敢多想。在士兵严格的监视下，根本毫无偷溜的机会，那名士兵不时地回来嘲弄他们。 「哼哈！」他指着他们的腿说：「只要有鞭子，懒惰就不见。快点！我可以用别的方法提醒你们，但到时你可能浑身都是血，走不回你们的营区了。为你自己好，不要做傻事！难道你不知道我们在打仗吗？」他们又走了好几哩，道路最后终于开始缓缓下降来到平原上，佛罗多的力气几乎已经完全耗尽，意志也开始动摇；山姆绝望地试着扶住他，但连他自己也都快撑不下去了，他知道两人随时都会面临一死：他的主人会昏倒或是跌跤，一切都会被揭穿，他们努力了半天全都白费了。「至少我可以先宰了那个臭家伙！」他想。 正当他握住了剑柄时，突然有了千载难逢的机会──他们已经踏上了平原，正在缓缓地靠近乌顿的入口，在距离桥前大门不远处，往西的道路和往南通往巴拉多的道路会合。所有的道路上都挤满了正在行军的部队，因为西方的将领们正朝着这里进军，而黑暗魔君已经加快了调兵遣将的速度。几个部队就正好和巧遇在道路的会合处，而且附近也完全不在火光的照耀下，到处都一片黑暗。当下此地立刻陷入一团混乱，每一个部队都急着想要冲进门内，结束这累人的行军。巴拉多来的一群重装强兽人冲散了山姆所在的队伍，让众人陷入混乱之中。 虽然山姆已经累得无法思考，但他还是立刻抓住这机会拉着佛罗多，一起趴了下来；许多半兽人跟着绊倒，开始大声咒骂。哈比人手脚并用的慢慢爬开，最后好不容易才翻到路边的围篱外。道路两边边有几尺高的围篱，让带头的士兵即使在黑夜或是大雾中，也可以有依循的路标。 他们动也不动地躺着，四周太黑，根本不可能找任何的掩护。不过，山姆觉得至少他们应该离开道路旁，找个火光照不到的地方。 「来，佛罗多先生！」他低语道：「再多爬一下子，你就可以躺着休息了。」佛罗多挤出最后一丝力量，撑起上半身，又前进了二十码左右。然后，他就摔进了眼前一个突如其来的凹坑中，像是死人一样再也无法动弹。