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the land of shadow 1217
they had secretly dreaded: the noise of marching feet. It was
still some way behind them, but looking back they could see
the twinkle of torches coming round the bend less than a mile
away, and they were moving fast: too fast for Frodo to escape
by flight along the road ahead.
‘I feared it, Sam,’ said Frodo. ‘We’ve trusted to luck, and
it has failed us. We’re trapped.’ He looked wildly up at the
frowning wall, where the road-builders of old had cut the
rock sheer for many fathoms above their heads. He ran to
the other side and looked over the brink into a dark pit of
gloom. ‘We’re trapped at last!’ he said. He sank to the ground
beneath the wall of rock and bowed his head.
‘Seems so,’ said Sam. ‘Well, we can but wait and see.’ And
with that he sat down beside Frodo under the shadow of the
cliff.
They did not have to wait long. The orcs were going at a
great pace. Those in the foremost files bore torches. On they
came, red flames in the dark, swiftly growing. Now Sam too
bowed his head, hoping that it would hide his face when the
torches reached them; and he set their shields before their
knees to hide their feet.
‘If only they are in a hurry and will let a couple of tired
soldiers alone and pass on!’ he thought.
And so it seemed that they would. The leading orcs came
loping along, panting, holding their heads down. They were
a gang of the smaller breeds being driven unwilling to their
Dark Lord’s wars; all they cared for was to get the march
over and escape the whip. Beside them, running up and down
the line, went two of the large fierce uruks, cracking lashes
and shouting. File after file passed, and the tell-tale torchlight
was already some way ahead. Sam held his breath. Now more
than half the line had gone by. Then suddenly one of the
slave-drivers spied the two figures by the road-side. He
flicked a whip at them and yelled: ‘Hi, you! Get up!’ They did
not answer, and with a shout he halted the whole company.
‘Come on, you slugs!’ he cried. ‘This is no time for slouching.’
He took a step towards them, and even in the gloom he