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.There was nothing for it but to settle down for the night where they were; theydid not even dare to search on the ground for scraps of food for fear ofbecoming separated again.But they had not been lying long, and Bilbo was onlyjust getting drowsy, when Dori, whose turn it was to watch first, said in aloud whisper:"The lights are coming out again over there, and there are more than ever ofthem."Up they all jumped.There, sure enough, not far away were scores of twinklinglights, and they heard the voices and the laughter quite plainly.They creptslowly towards them, in a single line, each touching the back of the one infront.When they got near Thorin said: "No rushing forward this time! No one isto stir from hiding till I say.I shall send Mr.Baggins alone first to talk tothem.They won't be frightened of him-('What about me of them?' thoughtBilbo)-and any way I hope they won't do anything nasty to him."When they got to the edge of the circle of lights they pushed Bilbo suddenlyfrom behind.Before he had time to slip on his ring, he stumbled forward intothe full blaze of the fire and torches.It was no good.Out went all the lightsagain and complete darkness fell.If it had been difficult collectingthemselves before, it was far worse this time.And they simply could not findthe hobbit.Every time they counted themselves it only made thirteen.Theyshouted and called: "Bilbo Baggins! Hobbit! You dratted hobbit! Hi! hobbit,confusticate you, where are you?" and other things of that sort, but there wasno answer.They were just giving up hope, when Dori stumbled across him by sheer luck.Inthe dark he fell over what he thought was a log, and he found it was the hobbitcurled up fast asleep.It took a deal of shaking to wake him, and when he wasawake he was not pleased at all."I was having such a lovely dream," he grumbled, "all about having a mostgorgeous dinner.""Good heavens! he has gone like Bombur," they said."Don't tell us aboutdreams.Dream-dinners aren't any good, and we can't share them.""They are the best I am likely to get in this beastly place," he muttered, ashe lay down beside the dwarves and tried to go back to sleep and find his dreamagain.But that was not the last of the lights in the forest.Later when thenight must have been getting old, Kili who was watching then, came and rousedthem all again, saying:"There's a regular blaze of light begun not far away - hundreds of torches andmany fires must have been lit suddenly and by magic.And hark to the singingand the harps!"After lying and listening for a while, they found they could not resist thedesire to go nearer and try once more to get help.Up they got again; and thistime the result was disastrous.The feast that they now saw was greater andmore magnificent than before; and at the head of a long line of feasters sat awoodland king with a crown of leaves upon his golden hair, very much as Bomburhad described the figure in his dream.The elvish folk were passing bowls fromhand to hand and across the fires, and some were harping and many were singing.Their gloaming hair was twined with flowers; green and white gems glinted ontheir collars and their belts; and their faces and their songs were filled withmirth.Loud and clear and fair were those songs, and out stepped Thorin intotheir midst.Dead silence fell in the middle of a word.Out went all light.The fires leapedup in black smokes.Ashes and cinders were in the eyes of the dwarves, and thewood was filled again with their clamour and their cries.Bilbo found himselfrunning round and round (as he thought) and calling and calling: "Dori, Nori,Ori, Oin, Gloin, Fili, Kili, Bombur, Bifur, Bofur, Dwalin, Balin, ThorinOakenshield," while people he could not see or feel were doing the same allround him (with an occasional "Bilbo!" thrown in).But the cries of the othersgot steadily further and fainter, and though after a while it seemed to himthey changed to yells and cries for help in the far distance, all noise at lastdied right away, and he was left alone in complete silence and darkness.That was one of his most miserable moments.But he soon made up his mind thatit was no good trying to do anything till day came with some little light, andquite useless to go blundering about tiring himself out with no hope of anybreakfast to revive him.So he sat himself down with his back to a tree, andnot for the last time fell to thinking of his far-distant hobbit-hole with itsbeautiful pantries.He was deep in thoughts of bacon and eggs and toast andbutter when he felt something touch him.Something like a strong sticky stringwas against his left hand, and when he tried to move he found that his legswere already wrapped in the same stuff, so that when he got up he fell over.Then the great spider, who had been busy tying him up while he dozed, came frombehind him and came at him.He could only see the things's eyes, but he couldfeel its hairy legs as it struggled to wind its abominable threads round andround him.It was lucky that he had come to his senses in time.Soon he wouldnot have been able to move at all.As it was, he had a desperate fight beforehe got free.He beat the creature off with his hands-it was trying to poisonhim to keep him quiet, as small spiders do to flies-until he remembered hissword and drew it out.Then the spider jumped back, and he had time to cut hislegs loose.After that it was his turn to attack.The spider evidently was notused to things that carried such stings at their sides, or it would havehurried away quicker.Bilbo came at it before it could disappear and struck itwith his sword right in the eyes [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]