towers

642 the two towers
It is he. Cannot you see him, passing from tree to tree?’
‘I see, I see now!’ hissed Gimli. ‘Look, Aragorn! Did I not
warn you? There is the old man. All in dirty grey rags: that
is why I could not see him at first.’
Aragorn looked and beheld a bent figure moving slowly. It
was not far away. It looked like an old beggar-man, walking
wearily, leaning on a rough staff. His head was bowed, and
he did not look towards them. In other lands they would have
greeted him with kind words; but now they stood silent, each
feeling a strange expectancy: something was approaching that
held a hidden power – or menace.
Gimli gazed with wide eyes for a while, as step by step the
figure drew nearer. Then suddenly, unable to contain himself
longer, he burst out: ‘Your bow, Legolas! Bend it! Get ready!
It is Saruman. Do not let him speak, or put a spell upon us!
Shoot first!’
Legolas took his bow and bent it, slowly and as if some
other will resisted him. He held an arrow loosely in his hand
but did not fit it to the string. Aragorn stood silent, his face
was watchful and intent.
‘Why are you waiting? What is the matter with you?’ said
Gimli in a hissing whisper.
‘Legolas is right,’ said Aragorn quietly. ‘We may not shoot
an old man so, at unawares and unchallenged, whatever fear
or doubt be on us. Watch and wait!’
At that moment the old man quickened his pace and came
with surprising speed to the foot of the rock-wall. Then suddenly
he looked up, while they stood motionless looking
down. There was no sound.
They could not see his face: he was hooded, and above the
hood he wore a wide-brimmed hat, so that all his features
were overshadowed, except for the end of his nose and his
grey beard. Yet it seemed to Aragorn that he caught the
gleam of eyes keen and bright from within the shadow of the
hooded brows.
At last the old man broke the silence. ‘Well met indeed,