towers

flotsam and jetsam 731
enough of Orcs ourselves to last a life-time. But there were
many other folk in Isengard. Saruman kept enough wisdom
not to trust his Orcs. He had Men to guard his gates: some
of his most faithful servants, I suppose. Anyway they were
favoured and got good provisions.’
‘And pipe-weed?’ asked Gimli.
‘No, I don’t think so,’ Merry laughed. ‘But that is another
story, which can wait until after lunch.’
‘Well let us go and have lunch then!’ said the Dwarf.
The hobbits led the way; and they passed under the arch
and came to a wide door upon the left, at the top of a stair.
It opened direct into a large chamber, with other smaller
doors at the far end, and a hearth and chimney at one side.
The chamber was hewn out of the stone; and it must once
have been dark, for its windows looked out only into the
tunnel. But light came in now through the broken roof. On
the hearth wood was burning.
‘I lit a bit of fire,’ said Pippin. ‘It cheered us up in the fogs.
There were few faggots about, and most of the wood we
could find was wet. But there is a great draught in the chimney:
it seems to wind away up through the rock, and fortunately
it has not been blocked. A fire is handy. I will make
you some toast. The bread is three or four days old, I am
afraid.’
Aragorn and his companions sat themselves down at one
end of a long table, and the hobbits disappeared through one
of the inner doors.
‘Store-room in there, and above the floods, luckily,’ said
Pippin, as they came back laden with dishes, bowls, cups,
knives, and food of various sorts.
‘And you need not turn up your nose at the provender,
Master Gimli,’ said Merry. ‘This is not orc-stuff, but manfood,
as Treebeard calls it. Will you have wine or beer?
There’s a barrel inside there – very passable. And this is
first-rate salted pork. Or I can cut you some rashers of bacon
and broil them, if you like. I am sorry there is no green stuff: