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.Then theDeeping-stream, swollen by the rain, churned and fretted in its choked path,and spread slowly in cold pools from cliff to cliff.'It will be drier above,' said Gimli.'Come, Gamling, let us see howthings go on the wall!'He climbed up and found Legolas beside Aragorn and Jomer.The elf waswhetting his long knife.There was for a while a lull in the assault, sincethe attempt to break in through the culvert had been foiled.'Twenty-one!' said Gimli.'Good!' said Legolas.'But my count is now two dozen.It has beenknife-work up here.'Jomer and Aragorn leant wearily on their swords.Away on the left thecrash and clamour of the battle on the Rock rose loud again.But theHornburg still held fast, like an island in the sea.Its gates lay in ruin;but over the barricade of beams and stones within no enemy as yet hadpassed.Aragorn looked at the pale stars, and at the moon, now sloping behindthe western hills that enclosed the valley.'This is a night as long asyears,' he said.'How long will the day tarry?''Dawn is not far off,' said Gamling, who had now climbed up beside him.'But dawn will not help us, I fear.''Yet dawn is ever the hope of men,' said Aragorn.'But these creatures of Isengard, these half-orcs and goblin-men thatthe foul craft of Saruman has bred, they will not quail at the sun,' saidGamling.'And neither will the wild men of the hills.Do you not hear theirvoices?''I hear them,' said Jomer; 'but they are only the scream of birds andthe bellowing of beasts to my ears.''Yet there are many that cry in the Dunland tongue,' said Gamling.'Iknow that tongue.It is an ancient speech of men, and once was spoken inmany western valleys of the Mark.Hark! They hate us, and they are glad; forour doom seems certain to them.'The king the king!' they cry.'We will taketheir king.Death to the Forgoil! Death to the Strawheads! Death to therobbers of the North!' Such names they have for us.Not in half a thousandyears have they forgotten their grievance that the lords of Gondor gave theMark to Eorl the Young and made alliance with him.That old hatred Sarumanhas inflamed.They are fierce folk when roused.They will not give way nowfor dusk or dawn, until Thjoden is taken, or they themselves are slain.''Nonetheless day will bring hope to me,' said Aragorn.'Is it not saidthat no foe has ever taken the Hornburg, if men defended it?''So the minstrels say,' said Jomer.'Then let us defend it, and hope!' said Aragorn.Even as they spoke there came a blare of trumpets.Then there was acrash and a flash of flame and smoke.The waters of the Deeping-streampoured out hissing and foaming: they were choked no longer, a gaping holewas blasted in the wall.A host of dark shapes poured in.'Devilry of Saruman!' cried Aragorn.'They have crept in the culvertagain, while we talked, and they have lit the fire of Orthanc beneath ourfeet.Elendil, Elendil!' he shouted, as he leaped down into the breach; buteven as he did so a hundred ladders were raised against the battlements.Over the wall and under the wall the last assault came sweeping like a darkwave upon a hill of sand.The defence was swept away.Some of the Riderswere driven back, further and further into the Deep, falling and fighting asthey gave way, step by step, towards the caves.Others cut their way backtowards the citadel.A broad stairway, climbed from the Deep up to the Rock and therear-gate of the Hornburg.Near the bottom stood Aragorn.In his hand stillAnd®ril gleamed, and the terror of the sword for a while held back theenemy, as one by one all who could gain the stair passed up towards thegate.Behind on the upper steps knelt Legolas.His bow was bent, but onegleaned arrow was all that he had left, and he peered out now, ready toshoot the first Orc that should dare to approach the stair.'All who can have now got safe within, Aragorn,' he called.'Comeback!'Aragorn turned and sped up the stair; but as he ran he stumbled in hisweariness.At once his enemies leapt forward.Up came the Orcs, yelling,with their long arms stretched out to seize him.The foremost fell withLegolas' last arrow in his throat.but the rest sprang over him.Then agreat boulder, cast from the outer wall above, crashed down upon the stair,and hurled them back into the Deep.Aragorn gained the door, and swiftly itclanged to behind him.'Things go ill, my friends,' he said, wiping the sweat from his browwith his arm.'Ill enough,' said Legolas, 'but not yet hopeless, while we have youwith us.Where is Gimli?''I do not know.' said Aragorn.'I last saw him fighting on the groundbehind the wall, but the enemy swept us apart.''Alas! That is evil news,' said Legolas.'He is stout and strong,' said Aragorn.'Let us hope that he willescape back to the caves.There he would be safe for a while.Safer than we.Such a refuge would be to the liking of a dwarf.''That must be my hope'' said Legolas.'But I wish that he had come thisway.I desired to tell Master Gimli that my tale is now thirty-nine.''If he wins back to the caves, he will pass your count again,' laughedAragorn.'Never did I see an axe so wielded.''I must go and seek some arrows,' said Legolas.'Would that this nightwould end, and I could have better light for shooting.'Aragorn now passed into the citadel.There to his dismay he learnedthat Jomer had not reached the Hornburg.'Nay, he did not come to the Rock,' said one of the Westfold-men, 'Ilast saw him gathering men about him and fighting in the mouth of the Deep.Gamling was with him, and the dwarf; but I could not come to them.'Aragorn strode on through the inner court, and mounted to a highchamber in the tower.There stood the king, dark against a narrow window,looking out upon the vale.'What is the news, Aragorn?' he said.'The Deeping Wall is taken, lord, and all the defence swept away; butmany have escaped hither to the Rock.''Is Jomer here?''No, lord.But many of your men retreated into the Deep; and some saythat Jomer was amongst them.In the narrows they may hold back the enemy andcome within the caves.What hope they may have then I do not know.''More than we.Good provision, it is said.And the air is wholesomethere because of the outlets through fissures in the rock far above.Nonecan force an entrance against determined men.They may hold out long.''But the Orcs have brought a devilry from Orthanc,' said Aragorn.'Theyhave a blasting fire, and with it they took the Wall.If they cannot come inthe caves, they may seal up those that are inside.But now we must turn allour thoughts to our own defence.''I fret in this prison,' said Thjoden
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