towers

742 the two towers
window in the tower. That had a queer effect on the Ents.
They had been boiling over; now they became cold, grim
as ice, and quiet. They left the plain and gathered round
Treebeard, standing quite still. He spoke to them for a little
in their own language; I think he was telling them of a plan
he had made in his old head long before. Then they just
faded silently away in the grey light. Day was dawning by
that time.
‘They set a watch on the tower, I believe, but the watchers
were so well hidden in shadows and kept so still, that I could
not see them. The others went away north. All that day they
were busy, out of sight. Most of the time we were left alone.
It was a dreary day; and we wandered about a bit, though we
kept out of the view of the windows of Orthanc, as much as
we could: they stared at us so threateningly. A good deal of
the time we spent looking for something to eat. And also we
sat and talked, wondering what was happening away south
in Rohan, and what had become of all the rest of our Company.
Every now and then we could hear in the distance the
rattle and fall of stone, and thudding noises echoing in the
hills.
‘In the afternoon we walked round the circle, and went to
have a look at what was going on. There was a great shadowy
wood of Huorns at the head of the valley, and another round
the northern wall. We did not dare to go in. But there was a
rending, tearing noise of work going on inside. Ents and
Huorns were digging great pits and trenches, and making
great pools and dams, gathering all the waters of the Isen and
every other spring and stream that they could find. We left
them to it.
‘At dusk Treebeard came back to the gate. He was humming
and booming to himself, and seemed pleased. He stood
and stretched his great arms and legs and breathed deep.
I asked him if he was tired.
‘ ‘‘Tired?’’ he said, ‘‘tired? Well no, not tired, but stiff. I
need a good draught of Entwash. We have worked hard; we
have done more stone-cracking and earth-gnawing today