The Hobbit Page #3

- My poor legs! My legs!

But what do they do with us?

Drop us to our deaths?

Who knows?

But they've brought us of far

distance with no dropping!

Yehoo! The river of Wilderland below!

My thunder!

They're taking us to the edge

of Mirkwood Forest...

... to dash us against those rocks,

I know it!

Oh, great lord of eagles...

... we are eternally grateful

for your gallant rescue.

I have not forgotten the arrow...

... that brought me down so many years ago.

I have not forgotten the wizard...

... who found me and healed my wound.

And now...

...farewell, wherever you fare...

... to your aeries receive you

at the journey's end.

So this is the forest of Mirkwood.

Terrible place if I remember.

And dangerous.

No-no. The map shows the safest path.

Follow it closely,

straight through the forest.

Don't stray off the track. If you do,

you will never get out of Mirkwood.

You speak as if you ain't going with us.

I'm not. I have pressing business away south.

- Oh, no! He can't mean it!

- What will we do without Gandalf?

Please, don't leave us.

No-no. I'm already late because of

bothering with you, people.

I'm sending Mr. Baggins with you.

That should be enough.

- Mr. Baggins?

- Bilbo?

The burglar?

Me? I'm no equal to a wizard!

Nonsense. You are the lucky number.

And soon you'll find out there's

more about you than you guess.

You, sir, will be my surrogate.

My replacement, so the same.

Here is paper and a marker. Keep a

strict log, the remainder of your journey.

... so I may study it when we meet again

and point out your missed steps.

I can only do my best.

Then, I'll have to suffice.

To Gandalf:

As per your instructions...

... I'm keeping this log of our

journey through Mirkwood forest.

I should make good use of it some day

as a base of my memoirs.

...which I intend to call:

There and back again: a hobbit's holiday.

The days are terrible,

and the nights are impossible...

... for we are hungry and thirsty.

The berries which grow here are hideous.

Everything about these woods is unpleasant.

One day we decided someone...

... should climb to the top of the

tallest tree and have a look about.

I couldn't argue. My contract

is vague on several points.

There are moments...

... which can change a person for all time.

And I suddenly wondered if I would

ever see my snug hobbit hole again.

I wondered, if I actually wanted to.

I awoke the next morning

to a hideous surprise.

Now I will give you a name.

And I shall call you Sting!

The remainder of the morning

I was spending seeking my companions.

And I found them, finally,

in a place as black and terrible...

... as a patch of midnight that

had never been cleared away.

They'll make fine eating...

... when they hung a day!

Go away!

Go away!

Bombur!

I certainly could not let

my companions, my comrades...

... become of meal for these hideous spiders.

Action was called for.

Now you are all free. I know, the

spiders' poison have made you weak,

but you must follow me. Quickly!

Look! On the path ahead! There it is.

It has freed our supper!

Now we see you again!

We will eat you and leave

your skin hanging in a tree.

Grab it!

I think I can hold them on!

Run to the wood-elves' clearing!

But, how can you...

I will do the stinging. Run.

Swiftly, now!

We have trapped them now.

Close the circle.

It can't escape us!

Lazy Lob!

Attercop!

My bless! What is it?

Sting! Sting! Sting!

Away! Retreat!

We are no match for Sting!

I joined my companions at

the clearing of the wood-elves.

But when I found them,

I was in for another surprise.

The wood-elves had returned,

but armed for battle.

The dwarves, weakened as they were

by the encounter with the spiders...

... gave up without a struggle.

We travelled all day and into the night.

Finally, we came to the palace

of the elf king...

... which was of the very

eastern edge of the forest.

We'd come all the way through...

... only to end up as prisoners.

- Why did you dwarves try to attack?

- No attack!

We came to beg!

We were starving!

And why were you in the forest

in the first place?

- That is our business.

- Very well.

Take them away until they are

feeling inclined to tell the truth...

... even if they wait a hundred years!

Greed. The fortune we were after

was big enough to share with the elves.

They'd make valuable allies

against that old worm Smaug.

Instead, they became the enemy

and we were their prisoners.

And even though my invisibility

allowed me to move about with ease...

... I had no way of opening the locks.

So it was weeks before I found

a way to free my companions.

Part of the river flowed under the caves.

Deliveries of fine wines were

brought up the river by human men...

... who lived on Long Lake.

Now wood-elves enjoyed their wine

and the barrels were soon drained.

Oh, stop complaining!

I never promised to burgle you

first class accomodation.

I'd come far and through

many adventures to see it...

... and now I did not like

the look of it at all!

Within hours we reached the colony

of humans called Lake-town.

A precise, if not too imaginative name...

... but the village was actually

built on the surface of Long Lake.

Here, the descendants of the men

of Dale still dare to dwell...

... and do business in the shadow

of old Smaug's mountain.

I am Thorin...

... grand son of King under the Mountain!

I have returned!

Hail, Thorin Oakenshield.

I am Bard the guardsman.

We are honoured by your presence.

Your grandfather lives

in our songs and legends.

What help we can offer will be yours,

and we trust to your gratitude...

... the dragon Smaug is killed

and your kingdom is regained.

We were fed, fattened, given supplies...

... and two weeks later found us

near in the end of our journey.

And chances were, it would be

a very horrible end, indeed.

That smell!

I've not smelled a dragon before!

All the halls within must be

filled with his foul reek.

And while Smaug slept inside...

... we spent our days searching for

that illusive secret door.

Then, one afternoon...

And so, Gandalf, while I wait,

I inscribe the final pages of your log.

My only companion is an annoying bird

cracking snails.

"Stand by the grey stone

when the thrush knocks,

... and the last light

of the setting sun...

... will shine upon the keyhole."

Oh, my goodness!

Wake up! Wake up! It's happening!

My thunder!

There it is!

Thorin, before it's gone again,

use your key.

Well, here we are.

But, what now?

Now is the time for our esteemed

Mr. Baggins to perform the service...

... for which he was included

in our company.

- Me?

- You must earn your reward. We do have a contract.

You think it's my job: to go in first?

I've already got you out of two

messes not in the original bargain.

And who will come with me?

Any of you?

I see.

Well, you are the burglar.

Go down and burgle something.

Very well. I won't refuse.

Good luck.

Thank you.

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