towers

592 the two towers
guards. ‘Why don’t we get together and charge through?
What’s old Uglúk think he’s doing, I should like to know?’
‘I daresay you would,’ snarled Uglúk stepping up from
behind. ‘Meaning I don’t think at all, eh? Curse you! You’re
as bad as the other rabble: the maggots and the apes of
Lugbúrz. No good trying to charge with them. They’d just
squeal and bolt, and there are more than enough of these
filthy horse-boys to mop up our lot on the flat.
‘There’s only one thing those maggots can do: they can
see like gimlets in the dark. But these Whiteskins have better
night-eyes than most Men, from all I’ve heard; and don’t
forget their horses! They can see the night-breeze, or so
it’s said. Still there’s one thing the fine fellows don’t know:
Mauhúr and his lads are in the forest, and they should turn
up any time now.’
Uglúk’s words were enough, apparently, to satisfy the
Isengarders; but the other Orcs were both dispirited and
rebellious. They posted a few watchers, but most of them lay
on the ground, resting in the pleasant darkness. It did indeed
become very dark again; for the moon passed westward into
thick cloud, and Pippin could not see anything a few feet
away. The fires brought no light to the hillock. The riders
were not, however, content merely to wait for the dawn and
let their enemies rest. A sudden outcry on the east side of the
knoll showed that something was wrong. It seemed that some
of the Men had ridden in close, slipped off their horses,
crawled to the edge of the camp and killed several Orcs,
and then had faded away again. Uglúk dashed off to stop a
stampede.
Pippin and Merry sat up. Their guards, Isengarders, had
gone with Uglúk. But if the hobbits had any thought of
escape, it was soon dashed. A long hairy arm took each of
them by the neck and drew them close together. Dimly they
were aware of Grishnákh’s great head and hideous face
between them; his foul breath was on their cheeks. He began
to paw them and feel them. Pippin shuddered as hard cold
fingers groped down his back.