Властелин колец: Братство кольца
The Old Forest
Alsonorthward,andtotheleftofthepath,thelandseemedlobedrierandmoreopen,climbinguptoslopeswherethetreeswerethinner,andpinesandfirsreplacedtheoaksandashesandotherstrangeandnamelesstreesofthedenserwood.
Atfirsttheirchoiceseemedtobegood:theygotalongatafairspeed,thoughwhenevertheygotaglimpseofthesuninanopengladetheyseemedunaccountablytohaveveeredeastwards.Butafteratimethetreesbegantocloseinagain,justwheretheyhadappearedfromadistancetobethinnerandlesstangled.Thendeepfoldsinthegroundwerediscoveredunexpectedly,liketherutsofgreatgiant-wheelsorwidemoatsandsunkenroadslongdisusedandchokedwithbrambles.Theselayusualyrightacrosstheirlineofmarch,andcouldonlybecrossedbyscramblingdownandoutagain,whichwastroublesomeanddifficultwiththeirponies.Eachtimetheyclimbeddowntheyfoundtheholowfiledwiththickbushesandmattedundergrowth,whichsomehowwouldnotyieldtotheleft,butonlygavewaywhentheyturnedtotheright;andtheyhadtogosomedistancealongthebottombeforetheycouldfindawayupthefurtherbank.Eachtimetheyclamberedout,thetreesseemeddeeperanddarker;andalwaystotheleftandupwardsitwasmostdifficulttofindaway,andtheywereforcedtotherightanddownwards.
Afteranhourortwotheyhadlostallclearsenseofdirection,thoughtheyknewwellenoughthattheyhadlongceasedtogonorthwardatal.Theywerebeingheadedoff,andweresimplyfolowingacoursechosenforthem-eastwardsandsouthwards,intotheheartoftheForestandnotoutofit.
Theafternoonwaswearingawaywhentheyscrambledandstumbledintoafoldthatwaswideranddeeperthananytheyhadyetmet.Itwassosleepandoverhungthatitprovedimpossibletoclimboutofitagain,eitherforwardsorbackwards,withoutleavingtheirponiesandtheirbaggagebehind.
