The chief danger, when engaging an army of this size, was in becoming surrounded. But there was little probability of this, as much of the Thane’s army was on horse, and he had dispatched scouts far and wide to prevent such an occurrence. This was a necessary precaution, as this was but one of the King’s armies.
The Goblins, upon seeing the Elven riders, began forming what for them were battle-formations, but were in fact nothing more than shapeless squads, each with a leader standing safely in the centre, shouting orders.
Though it was still early morning, the air grew sultry, the sun hot. The wide fields were overgrown with long, bleached-looking grass, and tufted with stands of tall, thin birch trees, with bone-coloured trunks that curved upwards from the ground like the scattered carcass of some great beast. Behind the Goblins, at a distance of some ten furlongs, lay an arm of the deciduous forest. Yet long before that, right at the Goblins’ back, was the river Mirrow, where it flowed from the forest. At this point the river was wide and shallow, its bottom thick with mud and silt. The Elves knew it to be impassable; it was too shallow for a boat, except perhaps for a flat-bottomed dinghy, of which they had none, and the bottom was too soft and muddy for foot-soldiers or riders, except at the very edge.