Book 5, Chapter 10




THE BLACK GATE OPENS


Two days later the army of the West was all assembled on
the Pelen-nor. The host of Orcs and Easterlings had turned back out of
Anórien,é but harried and scattered by the Rohirrim they had broken and
fledwith little fighting towards Cair Andros; and with that threat
destroyedand new strength arriving out of the South the City was as
wellmanned as might be. Scouts reported that no enemies remained uponthe
roads east as far as the Cross-roads of the Fallen King. All now wasready
for the last throw.Legolas and Gimli were to ride again together in the
company ofAragorn and Gandalf, who went in the van with the Dśnedain
andthe sons of Elrond. But Merry to his shame was not to go with
them.'You are not fit for such a journey,' said Aragorn. 'But do not
beashamed. If you do no more in this war, you have already earnedgreat
honour. Peregrin shall go and represent the Shirefolk; and donot grudge him
his chance of peril, for though he has done as well ashis fortune allowed
him, he has yet to match your deed. But inIruth all now are in like danger.
Though it may be our part to findbitter end before the Gate of Mordor, if we
do so, then you willcome also to a last stand, either here or wherever the
black tide over-takes you. Farewell ! 'And so despondently Merry now
stood and watched the musteringof the army. Bergil was with him,-and he also
was downcast; forhis father was to march leading a company of the Men of the
City :he could not rejoin the Guard until his case was judged. In that
samecompany Pippin was also to go, as a soldier of Gondor. Merry
couldsee him not far off, a small but upright figure among the tall men
ofMinas Tirith.At last the trumpets rang and the army began to move.
Troop bytroop, and company by company, they wheeled and went off
east-ward. And long after they had passed away out of sight down the
greatroad to the Causeway, Merry stood there. The last glint of the
morningsun on spear and helm twinkled and was lost, and still he
remainedwith bowed head and heavy heart, feeling friendless and alone.
Every-one that he cared for had gone away into the gloom that hung
overthe distant eastern sky; and little hope at all was left in his heart
thathe would ever see any of them again.As if recalled by his mood of
despair, the pain in his arm returned,and he felt weak and old, and the
sunlight seemed thin. He was rousedby the touch of Bergil's hand.'Come,
Master Perian ! ' said the lad. 'You are still in pain, I see. Iwill help
you back to the Healers. But do not fear! They will comeback. The Men of
Minas Tirith will never be overcome. And now theyhave the Lord Elfstone, and
Beregond of the Guard too.'Ere noon the army came to Osgiliath. There
all the workers andcraftsmen that could be spared were busy. Some were
strengtheningthe ferries and boat-bridges that the enemy had made and in
partdestroyed when they fled; some gathered stores and booty; and
otherson the eastern side across the River were throwing up hasty works
ofdefence.The vanguard passed on through the ruins of Old Gondor, and
overthe wide River, and on up the long straight road that in the
highdays had been made to run from the fair Tower of the Sun to the
tallTower of the Moon, which now was Minas Morgul in its accursedvale.
Five miles beyond Osgiliath they halted, ending their first
day'smarch.But the horsemen pressed on and ere evening they came to
theCross-roads and the great ring of trees, and all was silent. No sign
ofany enemy had they seen, no cry or call had been heard, no shaft
hadsped from rock or thicket by the way, yet ever as they went
forwardthey felt the watchfulness of the land increase. Tree and stone.
bladeand leaf were listening. The darkness had been dispelled, and
faraway westward sunset was on the Vale of Anduin, and the white peaksof
the mountains blushed in the blue air; but a shadow and a gloombrooded upon
the Ephel Dśath.Then Aragorn set trumpeters at each of the four roads that
ran intothe ring of trees, and they blew a great fanfare, and the heralds
criedaloud : `The Lords of Gondor have returned and all this land that
istheirs they take back.' The hideous orc-head that was set upon
thecarven figure was cast down and broken in pieces, and the old
king'shead was raised and set in its place once more, still crowned
withwhite and golden flowers : and men laboured to wash and pare awayall
the fouI scrawls that orcs had put upon the stone.Now in their debate some
had counselled that Minas Morgulshould first be assailed, and if they might
take it, it should be utterlydestroyed. `And, maybe,' said Imrahil, 'the
road that leads thence tothe pass above will prove an easier way of assault
upon the DarkLord than his northern gate.'But against this Gandalf had
spoken urgently, because of the evilthat dwelt in the valley, where the
minds of living men would turnto madness and horror, and because also of the
news that Faramirhad brought. For if the Ring-bearer had indeed attempted
that way,then above all they should not draw the Eye of Mordor thither.
Sothe next day when the main host came up, they set a strong guardupon
the Cross-roads to m:ake some defence, if Mordor should senda force over the
Morgul Pass, or should bring more men up from theSouth. For that guard they
chose mostly archers who knew the waysof Ithilien and would lie hid in the
woods and slopes about the meetingof the ways. But Gandalf and Aragorn rode
with the vanguard to theentrance of Morgul Vale and looked on the evil
city.It was dark and lifeless; for the Orcs and lesser creatures of
Mordorthat had dwelt there had been destroyed in battle, and the Nazgûl
wereabroad. Yet the air of the valley was heavy with fear and enmity.
Thenthey broke the evil bridge and set red flames in the noisome fields
anddeparted.The day after, being the third day since they set out
from MinasTirith, the army began its nortliward march along the road. It
wassome hundred miles by that way from the Cross-roads to the Moran-non,
and what might befall them before they came so far none knewThey went openly
but heedfully, with mounted scouts before themon the road, and others on
foot upon either side, especially on theeastward flank; for there lay dark
thickets, and a tumbled land ofrocky ghylls and crags, behind which the long
grim slopes of theEphel Dśath clambered up. The weather of the world
remained fairand the wind held in the west, but nothing could waft away
theglooms and the sad mists that clung about the Mountains of Shadow;and
behind them at whiles great smokes would arise and hover in theupper
winds.Ever and anon Gandalf let blow the trumpets, and the heraldswould
cry : "The Lords of Gondor are come ! Let a!1 leave this landor yield
them up ! ' But Imrahil said : `Say not The Lords of Gondor.Say The King
Elessar. For that is true, even though he has not yetsat upon the throne;
and it will give the Enemy more thought, if theheralds use that name.' And
thereafter thrice a day the heralds pro-clażmed the coming of the King
Elessar. But none answered the cha!-lenge.Nonetheless, though they
marched in seeming peace, the heartsof all the army, from the highest to the
lowest, were downcast, andwith every mile that they went north foreboding of
evi! grew heavieron them. It was near the end of the second day of their
march fromthe Cross-roads that they first met any offer of battle. For a
strongforce of Orcs and Easterlings attempted to take their leading
com-panies in an ambush; and that was in the very place where Faramirhad
waylaid the men of Harad, and the road went in a deep cuttingthrough an
out-thrust of the eastward hills. But the Captains of theWest were well
warned by their scouts, skilled men from HennethAnnûn led by Mablung; and so
the ambśsh was itself trapped. Forhorsemen went wide about westward and came
up on the flank of theenemy and from behind, and they were destroyed or
driven east intothe hills.But the victory did little to enhearten the
captains. `It is but afeint,' said Aragorn; `and its chief purpose, I deem,
was rather to drawus on by a false guess of our Enemy's weakness than to do
us muchhurt, yet.' And from that evening onward the Nazgûl came
andfollowed every move of the army. They still flew high and out ofsight
of all save Legolas, and yet their presence could be felt, as adeepening of
shadow and a dimming of the sun; and though the Ring-wraiths did not yet
stoop low upon their foes and were silent, utteringno cry, the dread of them
could not be shaken off.So time and the hopeless journey wore away. Upon
the fourth dayfrom the Cross-roads and the sixth from Minas Tirith they came
atlast to the end of the living lands, and began to pass into the
desola-tion that lay before the gates of the Pass of Cirith Gorgor; and
theycould descry the marshes and the desert that stretched north and
westto the Emyn Muil. So desolate were those places and so deep
thehorror that lay on them that some of the host were unmanned, andthey
could neither walk nor ride further north.Aragorn looked at them, and there
was pity in his eyes rather thanwrath; for these were young men from Rohan,
from Westfold faraway, or husbandmen from Lossarnach, and to them Mordor had
beenfrom childhood a name of evil, and yet unreal, a legend that had
nopart in their simple life; and now they walked like men in a
hideousdream made true, and they understood not this war nor why
fateshould lead them to such a pass.`Go ! ' said Aragorn. 'But keep what
honour you may, and do notrun ! And there is a task which you may attempt
and so be not whollyshamed. Take your way south-west till you come to Cair
Andros,and if that is still held by enemies, as I think, then re-take it, if
youcan; and hold it to the last in defence of Gondor and Rohan ! 'Then
some being shamed by his mercy overcame their fear andwent on, and the
others took new hope, hearing of a manful deedwithin their measure that they
could turn to, and they departed.And so, since many men had already been
left at the Cross-roads, itwas with less than six thousands that the
Captains of the West came atlast to challenge the Black Gate and the might
of Mordor.They advanced now slowly, expecting at every hour some answer
totheir challenge, and they drew together, since it was but waste ofmen
to send out scouts or small parties from the main host. At night-fall of the
fifth day of the march from Morgul Vale they made theirlast camp, and set
fires about it of such dead wood and heath as theycould find. They passed
the hours of night in wakefulness and theywere aware of many things
half-seen that walked and prowled allabout them, and they heard the howling
of wolves. The wind haddied and all the air seemed still. They could see
little, for though itwas cloudless and the waxing moon was four nights old,
there weresmokes and fumes that rose out of the earth and the white
crescentwas shrouded in the mists of Mordor.It grew cold. As morning
came the wind began to stir again, butnow it came from the North, and soon
it freshened to a rising breeze.All the night-walkers were gone, and the
land seemed empty. Northamid their noisome pits lay the first of the great
heaps and hills ofslag and broken rock and blasted earth, the vomit of the
maggot-folkof Mordor; but south and now near loomed the great rampart of
CirithGorgor, and the Black Gate amidmost, and the two Towers of
theTeeth tall and dark upon either side. For in their last march the
Cap-tains had turned away from the old road as it bent east, and
avoidedthe peril of the lurking hills, and so now they were approaching
theMorannon from the north-west, even as Frodo had done.The two vast
iron doors of the Black Gate under its frowning archwere fast closed. Upon
the battlement nothing could be seen. All wassilent but watchful. They were
come to the last end of their folly,and stood forlorn and chill in the grey
light of early day before towersand walls which their army could not assault
with hope, not even ifit had brought thither engines of great power, and the
Enemy hadno more force than would suffice for the manning of the gate
andwall alone. Yet they knew that all the hills and rocks about the
Moran-non were filled with hidden foes, and the shadowy defile beyond
wasbored and tunnelled by teeming broods of evil things. And as
theystood they saw all the Nazgûl gatherÄ„ed together, hovering above
theTowers of the Teeth like vultures; and they knew that they
werewatched. But still the Enemy made no sign.No choice was left them
but to play their part to its end. There-fore Aragorn now set the host in
such array as could best be con-trived; and they were drawn up on two great
hills of blasted stoneand earth that orcs had piled in years of labour.
Before them towardsMordor lay like a moat a great mire of reeking mud and
foul-smellingpools. When all was ordered, the Captains rode forth towards
theBlack Gate with a great guard of horsemen and the banner and
heraldsand trumpeters. There was Gandalf as chief herald, and Aragorn
withthe sons of Elrond, and Éomer of Rohan, and Imrahil; and Legolas
andGimli and Peregrin were bidden to go also, so that all the enemies
ofMordor should have a witness.They came within cry of the Morannon, and
unfurled the banner,and blew upon their trumpets; and the heralds stood out
and sent theirvoices up over the battlement of Mordor.'Come forth ! '
they cried. `Let the Lord of the Black Land comeforth! Justice shall be done
upon him. For wrongfully he has madewar upon Gondor and wrested its lands.
Therefore the King of Gondordemands that he should atone for his evils, and
depart then for ever.Come forth ! 'There was a long silence, and from
wall and gate no cry or soundwas,heard in answer. But Sauron had already
laid his plans, and hehad a mind first to play these mice cruelly before he
struck to kill.So it was that, even as the Captains were about to turn away,
thesilence was broken suddenly. There came a long rolling of great
drumslike thunder in the mountains, and then a braying of horns that
shookthe very stones and stunned men's ears. And thereupon the
middledoor of the Black Gate was thrown open with a great clang, and out
ofit there came an embassy from the Dark Tower.At its head there rode a
tall and evil shape, mounted upon a blackhorse, if horse it was; for it was
huge and hideous, and its face was afrightful mask, more like a skull than a
living head, and in thesockets of its eyes and in its nostrils there burned
a flame. The riderwas robed all in black, and black was his lofty helm; yet
this was noRingwraith but a living man. The Lieutenant of the Tower of
Barad-dûr he was, and his name is remembered in no tale; for he
himselfhad forgotten it, and he said : 'I am the Mouth of Sauron.' But it is
toldthat he was a renegade, who came of the race of those that arenamed
the Black Nśmenóreans; for they established their dwellings inMiddle-earth
during the years of Sauron's domination, and they wor-shipped him, being
enamoured of evil knowledge. And he enteredthe service of the Dark Tower
when it first rose again, and becauseof his cunning he grew ever higher in
the Lord's favour; and he learnedgreat sorcery, and knew much of the mind of
Sauron; and he was morecruel than any orc.He it was that now rode out,
and with him came only a small com-pany of black-harnessed soldiery. and a
single banner, black but bear-ing on it in red the Evil Eye. Now halting a
few paces before theCaptains of the West he looked them up and down and
laughed;`Is there anyone in this rout with authority to treat with me?
heasked. `Or indeed with wit to understand me ? Not thou at least ! '
hemocked, turning to Aragorn with scorn. `It needs more to make aking
than a piece of elvish glass, or a rabble such as this. Why, anyhrigand of
the hills can show as good a following ! 'Aragorn said naught in answer, but
he took the other's eye andheld it, ánd for a moment they strove thus; but
soon, though Aragorndid not stir nor move hand to weapon, the other quailed
and gaveback as if menaced with a blow. `I am a herald and ambassador,
andmay not be assailed ! ' he cried.`Where such laws hold,' said
Gandalf, `it is also the custom for am-bassadors to use less insolence. But
no one has threatened you. Youhave naught to fear from us, until your errand
is done. But unless yourmaster has come to new wisdom, then with all his
servants you will bein great peril.'`So ! ' said the Messenger. `Then
thou art the spokesman, old grey-heard? Have we not heard of thee at whiles,
and of thy wanderings,ever hatching plots and mischief at a safe distance?
But this timethou hast stuck out thy nose too far, Master Gandalf; and thou
shaltsee what comes to him who sets his foolish webs before the feet
ofSauron the Great. I have tokens that I was bidden to show to thee--to
thee in especial, if thou shouldst dal-e to come.' He signed to oneof his
guards, and he came forward bearing a bundle swathed in blackcloths.The
Messenger put these aside, and there to the wonder and dis-may of all the
Captains he held up first the short sword that Sam hadcarried, and next a
grey cloak with an elven-brooch, and last the coatof mithril-mail that Frodo
had worn wrapped in his tattered garments.A blackness came before their
eyes, and it seemed to them in a momentof silence that the world stood
still, but their hearts were dead andtheir last hope gone. Pippin who stood
behind Prince Imrahil sprangforward with a cry of grief.'Silence ! '
said Gandalf sternly, thrusting him back; but the Messen-ger laughed
aloud.Ä„ `So you have yet another of these imps with you ! ' he cried.
`Whatuse you find in them I cannot guess; but to send them as spies
intoMordor is beyond even your accustomed folly. Still, I thank him,
forit is plain that this brat at least has seen these tokens before, and
itwould be vain for you to deny them now.'`I do not wish to deny
them,' said Gandalf. `Indeed, I know themall and all their history, and
despite your scorn, foul Mouth ofSauron, you cannot say as much. But why do
you bring themhere ? ''Dwarf-coat, elf-cloak, blade of the downfallen
West, and spy fromthe little rat-land of the Shire-nay; do not start ! We
know it well-here are the marks of a conspiracy. Now, maybe he that bore
thesethings was a creature that you would not grieve to lose, and
maybeotherwise : one dear to you, perhaps? If so, take swift counsel
withwhat little wit is left to you. For Sauron does not love spies, and
whathis fate shall be depends now on your choice.'No one answered him;
but he saw their faces grey with fear andthe horror in their eyes, and he
laughed again, for it seemed to himthat his sport went well. `Good, good ! '
he said. `He was dear to you,I see. Or else his errand was one that you did
-not wish to fail? Ithas. And now he shall endure the slow torment of years,
as long andslow as our arts in the Great Tower can contrive, and never be
re-leased, unless maybe when he is changed and broken, so that he
maycome to you, and you shall see what you have done. This shall
surelybe-unless you accept my Lord's terms.'`Name the terms,' said
Gandalf steadily, but those nearby saw theanguish in his face, and now he
seemed an old and wizened man,crushed, defeated at last. They did not doubt
that he would accept.'These are the terms,' said the Messenger, and smiled
as he eyedthem one by one. 'The rabble of Gondor and its deluded allies
shallwithdraw at once beyond the Anduin, first taking oaths never
againto assail Sauron the Great in arms, open or secret. All lands east
ofAnduin shall be Sauron's for ever, solely. West of the Anduin asfar as
the Misty Mountains and the Gap of Rohan shall be tributaryto Mordor, and
men there shall bear no weapons, but shall have leaveto govern their own
affairs. But they shall help to rebuild Isengardwhich they have wantonly
destroyed, and that shall be Sauron's, andthere his lieutenant shall dwell :
not Saruman, but one more worthyof trust.'Looking in the Messenger's
eyes they read his thought. He was tobe that lieutenant, and gather all that
remained of the West under hissway; he would be their tyrant and they his
slaves.But Gandalf said : `This is much to demand for tiie delivery of
oneservant : that your Master should receive in exehange what he
mustelse fight many a war to gain ! Or has the field of Gondor
destroyedhis hope in war, so that he falls to haggling? And if indeed we
ratedthis prisoner so high, what surety have we that Sauron the Base
Masterof Treachery, will ke'ep his part ? Where is this prisoner ? Let
himbe brought forth and yielded to us, and then we will consider
thesedemands.'It seemed then to Gandalf, intent, watehing him as a man
engagedin fencing with a deadly foe, that for the taking of a breath the
Mes-senger was at a loss; yet swiftly he laughed again.`Do not bandy
words in your insolence with the Mouth of Sauron ! 'he cried. `Surety you
crave ! Sauron gives none. If you sue for his cle-mency you must first do
his bidding. These are his terms. Take themor leave them ! '`These we
will take ! ' said Gandalf suddenly. He cast aside his cloakand a white
light shone forth like a sword in that black place. Beforehis upraised hand
the foul Messenger recoiled, and Gandalf comingseized and took from him the
tokens : coat, cloak, and sword. `Thesewe will take in memory of our
friend,' he cried. 'But as for your terms,we reject them utterly. Get you
gone, for your embassy is over anddeath is near to you. We did not come here
to waste words in treatingwith Sauron, faithless and accursed; still less
with one of his slaves.Begone ! 'Then the Messenger of Mordor laughed no
more. His face was.twisted with amazement and anger to the likeness of some
wild beastthat, as it crouches on its prey, is smitten on the muzzle with a
sting-ing rod. Rage filled him and his mouth slavered, and shapeless
soundsof fury came strangling from his throat. But he looked at the fell
facesof the Captains and their deadly eyes. and fear overcame his
wrath.He gave a great cry, and turned, leaped upon his steed, and with
hiscompany galloped madly back to Cirith Gorgor. But as they went
hissoldiers blew their horns in signal long arranged; and even beforc
theycame to the gate Sauron sprang his trap.Drums rolled and fires
leaped up. The great doors of the Black Gateswung back wide. Out of it
streamed a great host as swiftly as swirlingwaters when a sluice is
lifted.The Captains mounted again and rode back, and from the host
ofMordor there went up a jeering yell. Dust rose smothering the air,as
from nearby there marehed up an army of Easterlings that hadwaited for the
signal in the shadows of Ered Lithui beyond the furtherTower. Down from the
hills on either side of the Morannon pouredOrcs innumerable. The men of the
West were trapped, and soon. allabout the grey mounds where they stood,
forces ten times and morethan ten times their mateh would ring them in a sea
of enemies. Sauronhad taken the proffered bait in jaws of steel.Little
time was left to Aragorn for the ordering of his battle. Uponthe one hill he
stood with Gandalf, and there fair and desperate wasraised the banner of the
Tree and Stars. Upon the other hill hard bystood the banners of Rohan and
Dol Amroth, White Horse and SilverSwan. And about each hill a ring was made
facing all ways, bristlingwith spear and sword. But in the front towards
Mordor where thefirst bitter assault would come there stood the sons of
Elrond on theleft with the Dśnedain about them, and on the right the Prince
Imrahilwith the men of Dol Amroth tall and fair, and picked men of
theTower of Guard.The wind blew, and the trumpets sang, and arrows
whined; butthe sun now climbing towards the South was veiled in the reeks
ofMordor, and through a threatening haze it gleamed, remote, a
sullenred, as if it were the ending of the day, or the end maybe of all
theworld of light. And out of the gathering mirk the Nazgûl camewith.
their cold voices crying words of death; and then all hope
wasquenched.Pippin had bowed crushed with horror when he heard
Gandalf re-ject the terms and doom Frodo to the torment of the Tower; but
hehad mastered himself, and now he stood beside Beregond in the
frontrank of Gondor with Imrahil's men. For it seemed best to him to
diesoon and leave the bitter story of his life, since all was in ruin.'I
wish Merry was here,' he heard himself saying, and quick thoughtsraced
through his mind, even as he watched the enemy come chargingto the assault.
`Well, well, now at any rate I understand poor Dene-thor a little better. We
might die together, Merry and I, and sincedie we must, why not? Well, as he
is not here, I hope he'll find aneasier end. But now I must do my
best.'He drew his sword and looked at it, and the intertwining shapesof
red and gold; and the flowing characters of Nśmenor glinted likefire upon
the blade. `This was made for just such an hour,' he thought.`If only I
could smite that foul Messenger with it, then almost I shoulddraw level with
old Merry. Well, I'll smite some of this beastly broodbefore the end. I wish
I could see cool sunlight and green grassagain ! 'Then even as he
thought these things the first assault crashed intothem. The orcs hindered
by the mires that lay before the hills haltedand poured their arrows into
the dcfending ranks. But throughthem there came striding up, roaring like
beasts, a great com-pany of hill-trolls out of Gorgoroth. Taller and broader
than Menthey were, and they were clad only in close-fitting mesh of
hornyscales, or maybe that was their hideous hide; but they bore
roundbucklers huge and black and wielded heavy hammers in theirknotted
hands. Reckless they sprang into the pools and waded across,bellowing as
they came. Like a storm they broke upon the line of themen of Gondor, and
beat upon helm and head, and arm and shieldas smiths hewing the hot bending
iron. At Pippin's side Beregondwas stunned and overborne, and he fell; and
the great troll-chiefthat smote him down bent over him, reaching out a
clutching claw;for these fell creatures would bite the throats of those that
they threwdown.Then Pippin stabbed upwards, and the written blade of
Wester-nesse pierced through the hide and went deep into the vitals of
thetroll, and his black blood came gushing out. He toppled forward
andcame crashing down like a falling rock, burying those beneath
him.Blackness and stench and crushing pain came upon Pippin, and hismind
fell away into a great darkness.`So it ends as I guessed it would,' his
thought said, even as it flut-tered away; and it laughed a little within him
ere it fled, almost gayit seemed to be casting oflE at last all doubt and
care and fear. Andthen even as it winged away into forgetfulness it heard
voices, andthey seemed to be crying in some forgotten world far above
:`The Eagles are coming ! The Eagles are coming ! 'For one moment more
Pippin's thought hovered. `Bilbo ! ' it said.`But no ! That came in his
tale, long long ago. This is my tale, and itis ended now. Good-bye ! ' And
his thought fled far away and his eyessaw no more.


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