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dwarves especially, no more than they hated everybody and everything,
and particularly the orderly and prosperous; in some parts wicked dwarves
had even made alliances with them. But they had a special grudge against
Thorin s people, because of the war which you have heard mentioned,
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but which does not come into this tale; and anyway goblins don t care
who they catch, as long as it is done smart and secret, and the prisoners
are not able to defend themselves.
Who are these miserable persons? said the Great Goblin.
Dwarves, and this! said one of the drivers, pulling at Bilbo s chain
so that he fell forward onto his knees.
We found them sheltering in our Front Porch.
What do you mean by it? said the Great Goblin turning to Thorin.
Up to no good, I ll warrant! Spying on the private business of my people,
I guess! Thieves, I shouldn t be surprised to learn! Murderers and friends
of Elves, not unlikely! Come! What have you got to say?
Thorin the dwarf at your service! he replied-it was merely a polite
nothing. Of the things which you suspect and imagine we had no idea at
all. We sheltered from a storm in what seemed a convenient cave and
unused; nothing was further from our thoughts than inconveniencing
goblins in any way whatever. That was true enough!
Urn! said the Great Goblin. So you say! Might I ask what you
were doing up in the mountains at all, and where you were coming from,
and where you were going to? In fact I should like to know all about you.
Not that it willdo you much good, Thorin Oakenshield, I know too much
about your folk already; but let s have the truth, or I will prepare something
particularly uncomfortable for you!
We were on a journey to visit our relatives, our nephews and
nieces, and first, second, and third cousins, and the other descendants of
our grandfathers, who live on the East side of these truly hospitable
mountains, said Thorin, not quite knowing what to say all at once in a
moment, when obviously the exact truth would not do at all.
He is a liar, O truly tremendous one! said one of the drivers.
Several of our people were struck by lightning in the cave, when we
invited these creatures to come below; and they are as dead as stones.
Also he has not explained this! He held out the sword which Thorin had
worn, the sword which came from the Trolls lair.
The Great Goblin gave a truly awful howl of rage when he looked at
it, and all his soldiers gnashed their teeth, clashed their shields, and
stamped. They knew the sword at once. It had killed hundreds of goblins
in its time, when the fair elves of Gondolin hunted them in the hills or did
battle before their walls. They had called it Orcrist, Goblin-cleaver, but the
goblins called it simply Biter. They hated it and hated worse any one that
carried it.
Murderers and elf-friends! the Great Goblin shouted. Slash them!
Beat them! Bite them! Gnash them! Take them away to dark holes full of
snakes, and never let them see the light again! He was in such a rage
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that he jumped off his seat and himself rushed at Thorin with his mouth
open.
Just at that moment all the lights in the cavern went out, and the
great fire went off poof! into a tower of blue glowing smoke, right up to
the roof, that scattered piercing white sparks all among the goblins.
The yells and yammering, croaking, jibbering and jabbering; howls,
growls and curses; shrieking and skriking, that followed were beyond
description. Several hundred wild cats and wolves being roasted slowly
alive together would not have compared with it. The sparks were burning
holes in the goblins, and the smoke that now fell from the roof made the
air too thick for even their eyes to see through. Soon they were falling
over one another and rolling in heaps on the floor, biting and kicking and
fighting as if they had all gone mad.
Suddenly a sword flashed in its own light. Bilbo saw it go right
through the Great Goblin as he stood dumbfounded in the middle of his
rage. He fell dead, and the goblin soldiers fled before the sword shrieking
into the darkness.
The sword went back into its sheath. Follow me quick! said a
voice fierce and quiet; and before Bilbo understood what had happened
he was trotting along again, as fast as he could trot, at the end of the line,
down more dark passages with the yells of the goblin-hall growing fainter
behind him. A pale light was leading them on.
Quicker, quicker! said the voice. The torches will soon be relit.
Half a minute! said Dori, who was at the back next to Bilbo, and
a decent fellow. He made the hobbit scramble on his shoulders as best he
could with his tied hands, and then off they all went at a run, with a clink-
clink of chains, and many a stumble, since they had no hands to steady
themselves with. Not for a long while did they stop, and by that time they
must have been right down in the very mountain s heart.
Then Gandalf lit up his wand. Of course it was Gandalf; but just
then they were too busy to ask how he got there. He took out his sword
again, and again it flashed in the dark by itself. It burned with a rage that
made it gleam if goblins were about; now it was bright as blue flame for
delight in the killing of the great lord of the cave. It made no trouble
whatever of cutting through the goblin-chains and setting all the prisoners
free as quickly as possible. This sword s name was Glamdring the Foe-
hammer, if you remember. The goblins just called it Beater, and hated it
worse than Biter if possible. Orcrist, too, had been saved; for Gandalf had
brought it along as well, snatching it from one of the terrified guards.
Gandalf thought of most things; and though he could not do everything,
he could do a great deal for friends in a tight comer.
Are we all here? said he, handing his sword back to Thorin with a
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bow. Let me see: one-that s Thorin; two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten, eleven; where are Fili and Kili? Here they are, twelve,
thirteen-and here s Mr. Baggins: fourteen! Well, well! it might be worse,
and then again it might be a good deal better. No ponies, and no food,
and no knowing quite where we are, and hordes of angry goblins just
behind! On we go!
On they went. Gandalf was quite right: they began to hear goblin
noises and horrible cries far behind in the passages they had come through.
That sent them on faster than ever, and as poor Bilbo could not possibly
go half as fast-for dwarves can roll along at a tremendous pace, I can tell
you, when they have to-they took it in turn to carry him on their backs.
Still goblins go faster than dwarves, and these goblins knew the
way better (they had made the paths themselves), and were madly angry;
so that do what they could the dwarves heard the cries and howls getting
closer and closer. Soon they could hear even the flap of the goblin feet,
many many feet which seemed only just round the last corner. The blink
of red torches could be seen behind them in the tunnel they were following;
and they were getting deadly tired.
Why, O why did I ever leave my hobbit-hole! said poor Mr. Baggins
bumping up and down on Bombur s back.
Why, O why did I ever bring a wretched little hobbit on a treasure
hunt! said poor Bombur, who was fat, and staggered along with the
sweat dripping down his nose in his heat and terror.
At this point Gandalf fell behind, and Thorin with him. They turned
a sharp corner. About turn! he shouted. Draw your sword, Thorin!
There was nothing else to be done; and the goblins did not like it.
They came scurrying round the corner in full cry, and found Goblin-cleaver
and Foe-hammer shining cold and bright right in their astonished eyes.
The ones in front dropped their torches and gave one yell before they
were killed. The ones behind yelled still more, and leaped back knocking
over those that were running after them. Biter and Beater! they shrieked;
and soon they were all in confusion, and most of them were hustling back
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