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the field of cormallen 1243
Mordor was scattering like dust in the wind. As when
death smites the swollen brooding thing that inhabits their
crawling hill and holds them all in sway, ants will wander
witless and purposeless and then feebly die, so the creatures
of Sauron, orc or troll or beast spell-enslaved, ran hither
and thither mindless; and some slew themselves, or cast
themselves in pits, or fled wailing back to hide in holes
and dark lightless places far from hope. But the Men of
Rhûn and of Harad, Easterling and Southron, saw the ruin
of their war and the great majesty and glory of the Captains
of the West. And those that were deepest and longest in evil
servitude, hating the West, and yet were men proud and bold,
in their turn now gathered themselves for a last stand of
desperate battle. But the most part fled eastward as they
could; and some cast their weapons down and sued for
mercy.
Then Gandalf, leaving all such matters of battle and command
to Aragorn and the other lords, stood upon the hill-top
and called; and down to him came the great eagle, Gwaihir
the Windlord, and stood before him.
‘Twice you have borne me, Gwaihir my friend,’ said
Gandalf. ‘Thrice shall pay for all, if you are willing. You will
not find me a burden much greater than when you bore me
from Zirakzigil, where my old life burned away.’
‘I would bear you,’ answered Gwaihir, ‘whither you will,
even were you made of stone.’
‘Then come, and let your brother go with us, and some
other of your folk who is most swift! For we have need of
speed greater than any wind, outmatching the wings of the
Nazgûl.’
‘The North Wind blows, but we shall outfly it,’ said
Gwaihir. And he lifted up Gandalf and sped away south, and
with him went Landroval, and Meneldor young and swift.
And they passed over Udûn and Gorgoroth and saw all the
land in ruin and tumult beneath them, and before them
Mount Doom blazing, pouring out its fire.
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