towers

the uruk-hai 585
‘But what are we going to do at sunrise?’ said some of the
Northerners.
‘Go on running,’ said Uglúk. ‘What do you think? Sit on
the grass and wait for the Whiteskins to join the picnic?’
‘But we can’t run in the sunlight.’
‘You’ll run with me behind you,’ said Uglúk. ‘Run! Or
you’ll never see your beloved holes again. By the White Hand!
What’s the use of sending out mountain-maggots on a trip,
only half trained. Run, curse you! Run while night lasts!’
Then the whole company began to run with the long loping
strides of Orcs. They kept no order, thrusting, jostling, and
cursing; yet their speed was very great. Each hobbit had a
guard of three. Pippin was far back in the line. He wondered
how long he would be able to go on at this pace: he had had
no food since the morning. One of his guards had a whip.
But at present the orc-liquor was still hot in him. His wits,
too, were wide-awake.
Every now and again there came into his mind unbidden
a vision of the keen face of Strider bending over a dark trail,
and running, running behind. But what could even a Ranger
see except a confused trail of orc-feet? His own little prints
and Merry’s were overwhelmed by the trampling of the ironshod
shoes before them and behind them and about them.
They had gone only a mile or so from the cliff when the
land sloped down into a wide shallow depression, where the
ground was soft and wet. Mist lay there, pale-glimmering in
the last rays of the sickle moon. The dark shapes of the Orcs
in front grew dim, and then were swallowed up.
‘Ai! Steady now!’ shouted Uglúk from the rear.
A sudden thought leaped into Pippin’s mind, and he acted
on it at once. He swerved aside to the right, and dived out of
the reach of his clutching guard, headfirst into the mist; he
landed sprawling on the grass.
‘Halt!’ yelled Uglúk.
There was for a moment turmoil and confusion. Pippin
sprang up and ran. But the Orcs were after him. Some
suddenly loomed up right in front of him.