** unsorted below here

spreading up the Running River as far as the valley overshadowed by the
Mountain. They built the merry town of Dale there in those days. Kings
used to send for our smiths, and reward even the least skilful most
richly. Fathers would beg us to take their sons as apprentices, and pay
us handsomely, especially in food-supplies, which we never bothered to
grow or find for ourselves. Altogether those were good days for us, and

machines that have since troubled the world, especially the ingenious
devices for killing large numbers of people at once, for wheels and
engines and explosions always delighted them, and also not working with
their own hands more than they could help; but in those days and those
wild parts they had not advanced (as it is called) so far. They did not
hate dwarves especially, no more than they hated everybody and

** (mostly) sorted below here

scarf over which a white beard hung down below his waist, and immense
black boots. Good morning! said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was
shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from
under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his
shady hat. What do you mean? be said. Do you wish me a good morning,  // 'he said'
or mean that it is a good morning whether I want not; or that you feel // 'whether I want it or not'

and then open the door like a pop-gun! Let me introduce Bifur, Bofur,
Bombur, and especially Thorin! At your service! said Bifur, Bofur,
and Bombur standing in a row. Then they hung up two yellow hoods and a

night before. In fact he was just sitting down to a nice little second
breakfast in the dining-room by the open window, when in walked Gandalf.
My dear fellow, said he, whenever are you going to come? What about
an early start?-and here you are having breakfast, or whatever you call


over the wide seas of the night.
The moon set sail upon the gale,
and stars were fanned to leaping light.
Bilbo began to nod again. Suddenly up stood Gandalf. It is time for


was Berts idea, and after a lot of argument they had all agreed to it.
No good roasting =18em now, itd take all night, said a voice. Bert
thought it was Williams.
Dont start the argument all over-again. Bill, he said, or it will


the floor and a nasty smell was in the air; but there was a good deal of
food jumbled carelessly on shelves and on the ground, among an untidy=20
litter of plunder, of all sorts from brass buttons to pots full of gold=20
coins standing in a corner. There were lots of clothes, too, hanging on=20
the walls-too small for trolls, I am afraid they belonged to victims-and
among them were several swords of various makes, shapes, and sizes. Two=20


packages lying broken open, and being rummaged by goblins, and smelt by=20
goblins, and fingered by goblins, and quarreled over by goblins.=20
I am afraid that was the last they ever saw of those excellent little=20
ponies, including a jolly sturdy little white fellow that Elrond had=20
lent to Gandalf, since his horse was not suitable for the=20
mountain-paths. For goblins eat horses and ponies and donkeys (and other


said. Sun on the daisies it means, it does.=20
But these ordinary aboveground everyday sort of riddles were tiring=20
for him. Also they reminded him of days when he had been less lonely and
sneaky and nasty, and that put him out of temper. What is more they made
him hungry; so this time he tried something a bit more difficult and=20
more unpleasant:


rabbits or cutting up meat, being used to having it delivered by the
butcher all ready to cook. Gandalf, too, was lying down after doing his
part in setting the fire going, since Oin and Gloin had lost their
tinder-boxes. (Dwarves have never taken to matches even yet.)
So ended the adventures of the Misty Mountains. Soon Bilbos stomach
was feeling full and comfortable again, and he felt he could sleep


of their boxes? Well, yes, there seem to be a couple more here now =13
Fili and Kili, I believe, said Gandalf, as these two now appeared and
stood smiling and bowing.
Thats enough! said Beorn. Sit down and be quiet! Now go on,
Gandalf! So Gandalf went on with the tale, until he came to the fight
in the dark, the discovery of the lower gate, and their horror when they


poor legs! At the best of times heights made Bilbo giddy. He used to
turn queer if he looked over the edge of quite a little cliff; and he
had never liked ladders, let alone trees (never having had to escape
from wolves before). So you can imagine how his head swam now, when he


spiders were goggling at them all round and about and above. It looked=20
pretty hopeless. Then the battle began. Some of the dwarves had knives,=20
and some had sticks, and all of them could get at stones; and Bilbo had=20
his elvish dagger.=20
Again and again the spiders were beaten off, and many of them were=20
killed. But it could not go on for long. Bilbo was nearly tired out;=20


lingered in such spots, which the spiders did not like. At any rate here
the light was greener, and the boughs less thick and threatening, and
they had a chance to rest and draw breath.
There they lay for some time, puffing and panting. put very soon they
began to ask questions. They had to have the whole vanishing business
carefully explained, and the finding of the ring interested them so much

Thorin had been caught much faster than they had. You remember Bilbo
falling like a log into sleep, as he stepped into a circle of light? The
next time it had been Thorin who stepped forward, and as the lights went

chief was also in prison close at hand, and that no one was to reveal
their errand to the long, not yet, not before Thorin gave the word. For  // 'errand to the king'
Thorin had taken heart again hearing how the hobbit had rescued his
companions from the spiders, and was determined once more not to ransom
himself with promises to the king of a share in the treasure, until all
hope of escaping in any other way had disappeared; until in fact the

kennel; while Balin, who came last, made a great fuss about his
air-holes and said he was stifling, even before his lid was on. Bilbo
had done what he could to close holes in the sides of the barrels, and


not like the look of it in the least.
As he listened to the talk of the raftmen and pieced together the
scraps of information they let fall, he soon realized that he was very

Chapter 11
On the Doorstep
In two days going they rowed right up the Long Lake and passed out
into the River Running, and now they could all see the Lonely Mountain
towering grim and tall before them. The stream was strong and their
going slow. At the; end of the third day, some miles up the river, they

every now and again the harsh croak of a bird. Balin shuddered. Let us
return! he said. We can do no good here!=13 And I dont like these dark
birds, they look like spies of evil.
The dragon is still alive and in the halls under the Mountain
then-or I imagine so from the smoke, said the hobbit.
That does not prove it, said Balin, though I dont doubt you are

The dragon is still alive and in the halls under the Mountain=20
then-or I imagine so from the smoke, said the hobbit.=20
That does not prove it, said Balin, though I dont doubt you are=20
right. But he might be gone away some time, or he might be lying out on=20
the mountain-side keeping watch, and still I expect smokes and steams=20
would come out of the gates: all the halls within must be filled with=20

when they struck the stone the handles splintered and jarred their arms
cruelly, and the steel heads broke or bent like lead. Mining work, they
saw clearly was no good against the magic that had shut this door; and
they grew terrified, too, of the echoing noise. Bilbo found sitting on
the doorstep lonesome and wearisome-there was not a doorstep, of course,
really, but they used to call the little grassy space between the wall

towards them and perched on a stone near by. Then he fluttered his wings
and sang; then he cocked his head on one side, as if to listen; and
again he sang, and again he listened.


here. What is our burglar doing for us?
Since he has got an invisible ring, and ought to be a specially
excellent performer now, I am beginning to think he might go through the
Front Gate and spy things out a bit!


used or wanted. His fire belched forth, the hall smoked, he shook the
mountain-roots. He thrust his head in vain at the little hole, and then
coiling his length together, roaring like thunder underground, he sped
from his deep lair through its great door, out into the huge passages of



walls of the grassy terrace cringing under boulders, hoping somehow to
escape the frightful eyes of the hunting dragon.
There they would have all been killed, if it had not been for Bilbo
once again. Quick! Quick! he gasped. The door! The tunnel! Its no

North, licking the mountain-sides with flame, beating his great wings
with a noise like a roaring wind. His hot breath shrivelled the grass
before the door, and drove in through the crack they had left and
scorched them as they lay hid. Flickering fires leaped up and black

and days of waiting, as it seemed, when they were becoming choked and
dazed for want of air, they could bear it no longer. They would almost
have welcomed sounds from below of the dragons return. In the silence
they feared some cunning devilry of his, but they could not sit there

time for him to earn his Reward. You are familiar with Thorins style
on important occasions, so I will not give you any more of it, though he
went on a good deal longer than this. It certainly was an important


and his company. Wild and bitter words were shouted from many sides; and
some of those who had before sung the old songs loudest, were now heard
as loudly crying that the dwarves had stirred the dragon up against them
deliberately! Fools! said Bard. Why waste words and wrath on those


sure, said Balin. Keep watch now, and see what happens! Before long=20
there was a fluttering of wings, and back came the thrush; and with him=20
came a most decrepit old bird. He was getting blind, he could hardly=20
fly, and the top of his head was bald. He was an aged raven of great=20
size. He alighted stiffly on the ground before them, slowly flapped his=20
wings, and bobbed towards Thorin.=20


That will be Dain! said Thorin when he heard. They will have got
wind of his coming. I thought that would alter their mood! Bid them come
few in number and weaponless, and I will hear, he called to the
messenger. About midday the banners of the Forest and the Lake were seen

With that the messengers departed swiftly, and the dwarves were left
to consider their case. So grim had Thorin become, that even if they had
wished, the others would not have dared to find fault with him; but
indeed most of them seemed to share his mind-except perhaps old fat
Bombur and Fili and Kili. Bilbo, of course, disapproved of the whole
turn of affairs. He had by now had more than enough of the Mountain, and

Bombur and Fili and Kili. Bilbo, of course, disapproved of the whole=20
turn of affairs. He had by now had more than enough of the Mountain, and
being besieged inside it was not at all to his taste.=20
The whole place still stinks of dragon, he grumbled to himself,=20
and it makes me sick. And cram is beginning simply to stick in my
throat.=20
Chapter 16=20


that. Personally I am only too ready to consider all your claims
carefully, and deduct what is right from the total before putting in my
own claim. However you dont know Thorin Oakenshield as well as I do
now. I assure you, he is quite ready to sit on a heap of gold and


Bard; and with Dain, for the dwarf-lord now joined them: the Goblins
were the foes of all, and at their coming all other quarrels were
forgotten. Their only hope was to lure the goblins into the valley
between the arms of the Mountain; and themselves to man the great spurs

Goblins and the wild Wolves, and upon the other were Elves and Men and=20
Dwarves. This is how it fell out. Ever since the fall of the Great=20
Goblin of the Misty Mountains the hatred of their race for the dwarves=20
had been rekindled to fury. Messengers had passed to and fro between all
their cities, colonies and strongholds; for they resolved now to win the
dominion of the North. Tidings they had gathered in secret ways; and in=20

the elves charged again with renewed numbers. Already many of the=20
goblins were flying back down the river to escape from the trap: and=20
many of their own wolves were turning upon them and rending the dead and
the wounded. Victory seemed at hand, when a cry rang out on the heights=20
above. Goblins had scaled the Mountain from the other side and already=20
many were on the slopes above the Gate, and others were streaming down=20

came upon the Goblins; and even as they turned to meet this new attack,
the elves charged again with renewed numbers. Already many of the
goblins were flying back down the river to escape from the trap: and
many of their own wolves were turning upon them and rending the dead and


loved, which Dain had restored to him. To Bilbo he said: This treasure=20
is as much yours as it is mine; though old agreements cannot stand,=20
since so many have a claim in its winning and defence. Yet even though=20
you were willing to lay aside all your claim, I should wish that the=20
words of Thorin, of which he repented, should not prove true: that we=20
should give you little. I would reward you most richly of all.