"David Eddings. Castle of wizardry enchanters' end game (The Belgariad, Part two)" - читать интересную книгу автора

"What do we do?"
"We have to rub them down - all of them - with wool."
"We don't have time for that," Silk objected.
"It's that or walk," Durnik declared, pulling off his stout wool cloak
and beginning to rub vigorously at his horse's legs with it.
"Maybe we should build a fire," Garion suggested, also dismounting and
beginning to rub down his horse's shivering legs.
"There isn't anything around here to burn," Durnik told him. "This is
all open grassland."
"And a fire would set up a beacon for every Murgo within ten miles,"
Barak added, massaging the legs of his gray horse.
They all worked as rapidly as possible, but the sky to the east had
begun to pale with the first hints of dawn before Mandorallen's horse was
on his feet again and the rest of their mounts were able to move.
"They won't be able to run," Durnik declared somberly. "We shouldn't
even ride them."
"Durnik," Silk protested, "Taur Urgas is right behind us."
"They won't last a league if we try to make them run," the smith said
stubbornly. "There's nothing left in them."
They rode away from the river at a walk. Even at that pace, Garion
could feel the trembling of his horse under him. They all looked back
frequently, watching the dark-shrouded plain beyond the river as the sky
grew gradually lighter. When they reached the top of the first low hills,
the deep shadow which had obscured the grasslands behind them faded and
they were able to see movement. Then, as the light grew stronger, they saw
an army of Murgos swarming toward the river. In the midst of them were the
flapping black banners of Taur Urgas himself.
The Murgos came on in waves until they reached the far bank of the
river. Then their mounted scouts ranged out until they located the ford.
The bulk of the army Taur Urgas had brought down to the plain was still on
foot, but clusters of horses were being driven up from the rear as rapidly
as they could be brought down the narrow cut leading from the top of the
escarpment.
As the first units began splashing across the ford, Silk turned to
Belgarath. "Now what?" the little man asked in a worried voice.
"We'd better get off the top of this hill," the old man replied. "I
don't think they've seen us yet, but it's just a question of time, I'm
afraid." They rode down into a little swale just beyond the hill. The
overcast which had obscured the sky for the past week or more had begun to
blow off, and broad patches of pale, icy blue had begun to appear, though
the sun had not yet come up.
"My guess is that he's going to hold the bulk of his army on the far
side," Belgarath told them after they had all dismounted. "He'll bring
them on across as their horses catch up. As soon as they get to this side,
they're going to spread out to look for us."
"That's the way I'd do it," Barak agreed.
"Somebody ought to keep an eye on them," Durnik suggested. He started
back up the hill on foot. "I'll let you know if they start doing anything
unusual."
Belgarath seemed lost in thought. He paced up and down, his hands