Властелин колец: Братство кольца
A Knife in the Dark
Ifhecomesthiswayatall,hemaynotpassthroughBree,andsohemaynotknowwhatwearedoing.Andanyway,unlessbyluckwearrivealmosttogether,weshallmissoneanother;itwillnotbesafeforhimorforustowaittherelong.IftheRidersfailtofindusinthewilderness,theyarelikelytomakeforWeathertopthemselves.Itcommandsawideviewallround.Indeed,therearemanybirdsandbeastsinthiscountrythatcouldseeus,aswestandhere,fromthathill-top.Notallthebirdsaretobetrusted,andthereareotherspiesmoreevilthantheyare.’
Thehobbitslookedanxiouslyatthedistanthills.Samlookedupintothepalesky,fearingtoseehawksoreagleshoveringoverthemwithbrightunfriendlyeyes.‘Youdomakemefeeluncomfortableandlonesome,Strider!’hesaid.
‘Whatdoyouadviseustodo?’askedFrodo.
‘Ithink,’answeredStriderslowly,asifhewasnotquitesure,‘Ithinkthebestthingistogoasstraighteastwardfromhereaswecan,tomakeforthelineofhills,notforWeathertop.TherewecanstrikeapathIknowthatrunsattheirfeet;itwillbringustoWeathertopfromthenorthandlessopenly.Thenweshallseewhatweshallsee.’
Allthatdaytheyploddedalong,untilthecoldandearlyeveningcamedown.Thelandbecamedrierandmorebarren;butmistsandvapourslaybehindthemonthemarshes.Afewmelancholybirdswerepipingandwailing,untiltheroundredsunsankslowlyintothewesternshadows;thenanemptysilencefell.
