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two towers-第10部分

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while to get his  troop under control; I've got  a chance。' A gleam of  hope 
had e to him。 The edge  of the black knife had snicked his arm; and  then 
slid down to his wrist。  He  felt the blood trickling on to his hand; but he 
also felt the cold touch of steel against his skin。 
     The Orcs were getting ready to march again; but some of the Northerners 
were still unwilling; and the Isengarders slew two more before the rest were 
cowed。  There  was  much  cursing  and confusion。 For  the moment Pippin was 
unwatched。 His legs were  securely bound; but his arms were  only tied about 
the wrists;  and his hands were  in front  of  him。 He could  move them both 
together; though the bonds were cruelly tight。 He pushed the dead Orc to one 
side; then hardly daring to  breathe; he drew the  knot of the wrist…cord up 
and down against the blade of the knife。 It was sharp and the dead hand held 
it fast。 The cord was cut! Quickly Pippin took it in his fingers and knotted 
it again into a loose  bracelet of two loops and slipped it  over his hands。 
Then he lay very still。 
     'Pick up those prisoners!' shouted Ugl甼。  'Don't play any  tricks with 
them! If they are not alive when we get back; someone else will die too。' 
     An Orc  seized Pippin like a sack。 put its head between his tied hands; 
grabbed his arms and  dragged them  down; until  Pippin's  face was  crushed 
against its neck; then it jolted off  with him。 Another treated Merry in the 
same way。 The Orc's clawlike hand gripped Pippin's arms like iron; the nails 
bit into him。 He shut his eyes and slipped back into evil dreams。 
     Suddenly he was thrown on to the stony floor again。 It was early night; 
but the  slim moon was already falling westward。 They were on the  edge of a 
cliff that seemed to look out  over a sea of pale mist。 There was a sound of 
water falling nearby。 
     'The scouts have e back at last;' said an Orc close at hand。 
     'Well; what did you discover?' growled the voice of Ugl甼。 
     'Only a single horseman; and he made off westwards。 All's clear now。' 
     'Now;  I  daresay。 But how  long? You fools! You should  have shot him。 
He'll  raise the alarm。 The cursed horsebreeders will hear of us by morning。 
Now we'll have to leg it double quick。' 
     A shadow bent over  Pippin。 It  was Ugl甼。 'Sit up!' said the  Orc。 'My 
lads are tired of lugging you about。 We have got to climb down and you  must 
use your legs。 Be  helpful now。 No  crying out; no trying to escape。 We have 
ways of paying for tricks that you won't like; though they won't spoil  your 
usefulness for the Master。' 
     He cut the thongs round Pippin's legs and ankles; picked him  up by his 
hair  and stood him  on his feet。 Pippin fell down; and Ugl甼 dragged him up 
by  his hair again。 Several Orcs  laughed。 Ugl甼 thrust a  flask between his 
teeth and poured some burning liquid down  his  throat: he felt a hot fierce 
glow  flow through  him。  The pain in his legs and ankles vanished。 He could 
stand。 
     'Now for  the other!' said Ugl甼。  Pippin saw him go  to Merry; who was 
lying  close  by;  and kick  him。 Merry groaned。  Seizing him roughly  Ugl甼 
pulled  him into a sitting position; and tore the bandage off his head。 Then 
he smeared the wound with some dark  stuff out of a small wooden  box。 Merry 
cried out and struggled wildly。 
     The Orcs clapped and  hooted。 'Can't take his medicine;'  they  jeered。 
'Doesn't know what's good for him。 Ai! We shall have some fun later。' 
     But  at the moment Ugl甼 was not engaged in  sport。 He needed speed and 
had to humour  unwilling followers。 He was healing Merry in orc…fashion; and 
his treatment worked swiftly。 When he had forced a drink from his flask down 
the  hobbit's throat; cut his leg…bonds; and dragged him to  his feet; Merry 
stood up; looking pale but grim  and defiant; and very  much alive。 The gash 
in his forehead gave him  no  more trouble; but he bore a  brown scar to the 
end of his days。 
     'Hullo; Pippin!' he said。  'So you've e on  this  little expedition; 
too? Where do we get bed and breakfast?' 
     'Now then!' said Ugl甼。  'None of that!  Hold your tongues。 No  talk to 
one another。 Any  trouble will be  reported at the other end; and He'll know 
how to pay  you。 You'll  get bed and breakfast  all right: more than you can 
stomach。' 
     The orc…band  began to descend a  narrow ravine  leading down into  the 
misty plain below。  Merry and  Pippin;  separated by a  dozen  Orcs or more; 
climbed down with  them。 At the  bottom  they  stepped on to  grass; and the 
hearts of the hobbits rose。 
     'Now  straight on!'  shouted Ugl甼。 'West  and a  little  north。 Follow 
Lugdush。' 
     'But what are we going to do at sunrise?' said some of the Northerners。 
     'Go on running;' said Ugl甼。 '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 Ugl甼。 '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  pany  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 
iron…shod 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 Ugl甼 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 Ugl甼。 
     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。 
     'No hope  of escape!' thought Pippin。 'But there is a hope  that I have 
left  some of  my own marks unspoilt on the  wet ground。' He groped with his 
two tied hands at his throat; and unclasped the brooch of his cloak。 Just as 
long arms and  hard claws seized him。 he  let it fall。 'There  I  suppose it 
will lie until the end of time;' he thought。 'I don't  know why I did it。 If 
the others have escaped; they've probably all gone with Frodo。' 
     A whip…thong curled round his legs; and he stifled a cry。 
     'Enough!' shouted Ugl甼 running  up。 'He's still got to run a long  way 
yet。 Make 'em both run! Just use the whip as a reminder。' 
     'But that's not  all;' he snarled; turning to Pippin。 'I shan't forget。 
Payment is only put off。 Leg it!' 
     Neither  Pippin nor Merry remembered  much  of the later  part  of  the 
journey。 Evil  dreams and evil  waking were blended  into  a  long tunnel of 
misery;  with hope  growing ever fainter behind。  They  ran; and  they  ran; 
striving to keep up the  pace set by  the Orcs; licked  every now  and again 
with a cruel thong cunningly  handled。 If they halted or stumbled; they were 
seized and dragged for some distance。 
     The  warmth  of  the orc…draught  had  gone。 Pippin felt cold and  sick 
again。 Suddenly  he  fell face downward on the turf。 Hard hands with rending 
nails  gripped  and lifted him。 He was  carried like a  sack  once more; and 
darkness  grew about him:  whether the  darkness  of  another  night;  or  a 
blindness of his eyes; he could not tell。 
     Dimly he became aware of voices clamouring: it seemed that  many of the 
Orcs were demanding a halt。 Ugl甼 was shouting。 He felt himself flung to the 
ground;  and he lay as he fell; till black dreams  took  him。 But he did not 
long  escape from  pain; soon  the iron grip of  merciless hands was on  him 
again。  For  a  long  time  he was  tossed and shaken; and then  slowly  the 
darkness  gave way; and he came  back to the waking  world and found that it 
was morning。 Orders were shouted and he was thrown roughly on the grass。 
     There  he  lay for a while; fighting  with despair。 His head  swam; but 
from the heat in his body he guessed that he had been given another draught。 
An Orc stooped over him; and flung him some bread  and a strip of raw  dried 
flesh。 He ate  the  stale grey  bread hungrily; but  not the  meat。  He  was 
famished but not yet so famished as to eat flesh flung to him by an Orc; the 
flesh of he dared not guess what creature。 
     He sat up and looked about。  Merry was not  far away。 They were by  the 
banks  of a swift narrow  river。  Ahead mountains  loomed: a tall  peak  was 
catching the first rays of the sun。 A dark smudge of forest lay on the lower 
slopes before them。 
     There was much shouting and debating among  the Orcs; a  quarrel seemed 
on  the  point  of  breaking  out again  between  the  Northerners  and  the 
Isengarders。 Some  were  pointing back  away south; and  some were  pointing 
eastward。 
     'Very  well;' said Ugl甼。 'Leave them  to me then! No killing;  as I've 
told you before; but if you want to  throw away  what we've e all the way 
to get; throw it  away! I'll look after it。 Let the fighting Uruk…hai do the 
work; as usual。 If you're afraid of the Whiteskins; run!  Run!  There's  the 
forest;' he  shouted; pointing ahead。 'Get to it! It's yo
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