towers

journey to the cross-roads 911
Darkness came early to the silent woods, and before the
fall of night they halted, weary, for they had walked seven
leagues or more from Henneth Annûn. Frodo lay and slept
away the night on the deep mould beneath an ancient tree.
Sam beside him was more uneasy: he woke many times, but
there was never a sign of Gollum, who had slipped off as
soon as the others had settled to rest. Whether he had slept
by himself in some hole nearby, or had wandered restlessly
prowling through the night, he did not say; but he returned
with the first glimmer of light, and roused his companions.
‘Must get up, yes they must!’ he said. ‘Long ways to go
still, south and east. Hobbits must make haste!’
That day passed much as the day before had gone, except
that the silence seemed deeper; the air grew heavy, and it
began to be stifling under the trees. It felt as if thunder was
brewing. Gollum often paused, sniffing the air, and then he
would mutter to himself and urge them to greater speed.
As the third stage of their day’s march drew on and afternoon
waned, the forest opened out, and the trees became
larger and more scattered. Great ilexes of huge girth stood
dark and solemn in wide glades with here and there among
them hoary ash-trees, and giant oaks just putting out their
brown-green buds. About them lay long launds of green grass
dappled with celandine and anemones, white and blue, now
folded for sleep; and there were acres populous with the
leaves of woodland hyacinths: already their sleek bell-stems
were thrusting through the mould. No living creature, beast
or bird, was to be seen, but in these open places Gollum grew
afraid, and they walked now with caution, flitting from one
long shadow to another.
Light was fading fast when they came to the forest-end.
There they sat under an old gnarled oak that sent its roots
twisting like snakes down a steep crumbling bank. A deep
dim valley lay before them. On its further side the woods
gathered again, blue and grey under the sullen evening, and
marched on southwards. To the right the Mountains of