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the tower of cirith ungol 1175
forced his unwilling feet to obey him, and slowly, listening
with all his ears, peering into the dense shadows of the rocks
beside the way, he retraced his steps, past the place where
Frodo fell, and still the stench of Shelob lingered, and then
on and up, until he stood again in the very cleft where he had
put on the Ring and seen Shagrat’s company go by.
There he halted and sat down. For the moment he could
drive himself no further. He felt that if once he went beyond
the crown of the pass and took one step veritably down into
the land of Mordor, that step would be irrevocable. He could
never come back. Without any clear purpose he drew out the
Ring and put it on again. Immediately he felt the great burden
of its weight, and felt afresh, but now more strong and urgent
than ever, the malice of the Eye of Mordor, searching, trying
to pierce the shadows that it had made for its own defence,
but which now hindered it in its unquiet and doubt.
As before, Sam found that his hearing was sharpened, but
that to his sight the things of this world seemed thin and
vague. The rocky walls of the path were pale, as if seen
through a mist, but still at a distance he heard the bubbling
of Shelob in her misery; and harsh and clear, and very close
it seemed, he heard cries and the clash of metal. He sprang
to his feet, and pressed himself against the wall beside the
road. He was glad of the Ring, for here was yet another
company of orcs on the march. Or so at first he thought.
Then suddenly he realized that it was not so, his hearing
had deceived him: the orc-cries came from the tower, whose
topmost horn was now right above him, on the left hand of
the Cleft.
Sam shuddered and tried to force himself to move. There
was plainly some devilry going on. Perhaps in spite of all
orders the cruelty of the orcs had mastered them, and they
were tormenting Frodo, or even savagely hacking him to
pieces. He listened; and as he did so a gleam of hope came
to him. There could not be much doubt: there was fighting
in the tower, the orcs must be at war among themselves,
Shagrat and Gorbag had come to blows. Faint as was the