The History of the Hobbit
Page 40
He looked at these for a long time, and he liked the breeze; but soon the shouts of the dwarves (who were simply [shouting >] stamping with impatience down below) reminded him of his real business. It was no good. He couldn’t see any end to the trees and leaves in any direction. It was really very horrible with no food down below to go to.
Actually I believe they were coming fairly near to the end of the forest now, if they had only known it. (If they had it might have saved them a deal of trouble, as you will see). And if they or Bilbo had the sense to see it,TN9 he had climbed a tree that was tall in itself but was standing near the bottom of a wide hollow or valley, and so from its top the trees seem to swell up all round it, like the edges of great bowl. No wonder [they >] he could not see very far.
Down Bilbo scrambled at last, scratched, hot, and miserable, and he could not hardly see anything in the gloom below when he got there. Very unhappy they all were when he told them [they>] ‘this forest went on for ever and ever in all directions’. They were quite cross with him, as if it was his fault; and they didn’t care tuppenceTN10 about the butterflies, and were only made more angry when he told them of the beautiful breeze (because they were too heavy to get their heads out and feel it).
That night they ate their last scraps of food, and woke up horribly hungry sometime next day (you could hardly call it morning it was so dim). All they could do was to tighten their belts round their empty tummies, and trudge along the track without much hope of ever seeing the end of it. You can perhaps guess how desperately hungry they were (especially Bilbo) when the blackness of night came on.
Bombur had just said ‘I won’t go a step farther. I am going to lie down here and sleep, and I don’t care if I never wake up!’TN11 When BalinTN12 said.
‘What’s that? There’s a twinkle of light’.
They all looked, and a longish way off (as far as they could guess) and to the left of their path, they saw a twinkle in the dark. Then they hurried along hardly caring whether it was trolls or goblins. The light did not seem to come any nearer, but first one and then another little twinkle came out. At last they had drawn level with it, and they could feel sure that lights (torches perhaps or small fires) were burning in some place in the forest along side of them, but a good way off their path.
They argued about it for a bit, but not for long. They did not forget the warnings of Medwed and Bladorthin, of course! But they all agreed, that they would starve to death quite soon if they stuck to the path, so that things could not be much worse if they left it and lost it. But [> Only] at first they could not agree whether to send out one or two spies or all go towards the light. In the end they all went (as quietly as they could, with the hobbit on the end of the line),TN13 because nobody liked to go off into the forest alone, nor to be left alone on the path.
After a good deal of creeping and crawling along they peered round the trunks of trees and could see a place where it seem[ed] one or two trees had been cut down so that there was a more open space. And bless me if there were not people there, elvish looking folk all dressed in green and brown, sitting on logs. There was a little fire, and there were torches on some of the tree-trunks; but most splendid sight of all they were feasting, eating and drinking and laughing.
Without waiting to ask each other [> one another] each of them scrambled forwards with the same idea of begging some food and drink (for their water skins were as empty as their food bags).TN14 But not one of them got into the clearing, before all the lights went out. Somebody kicked the fire and it went out in a shower of sparks, as if by magic. There they were in inky blackness, and they couldn’t even find one another. Not for a long while at any rate. At last after blundering about falling over logs, bumping crash into trees, and shouting and calling till they must have waked all the things in the forest for miles round,TN15 they managed to gather themselves together in a bundle and count themselves (fourteen) by touching. By that time of course they had no idea left as to where their track lay, and they were quite lost, until morning, at any rate.
There was nothing for it, but to lie down for the night where they were. They didn’t even dare to grope about for any scrap of food for fear of getting separated again. But they had hardly settled down, before Dori (whose turn it was to watch first)TN16 said in a loud whisper:
‘The lights are coming out again over there!’
Up they all jumped again. There were the lights twinkling again not far off, and they could hear low voices and laughter quite plainly.
This time they crept even more slowly and carefully towards them; and Gandalf said ‘No one is [to] stir from hiding, till I say. I shall step forward alone quietly first, and try to beg for food.’TN17 They came right to the edge of the circle of light made by the torches this time, and they lay each behind a tree peering cautiously out.
Up got Gandalf finally and stepped into the ring. Out went all the lights again, and [they were >] if it was bad collecting themselves before it was worse still this time. Gandalf simply couldn’t be found. Every time they counted it only made thirteen, and though they shouted [and called] ‘Gandalf’ there was no answer. Bilbo found him. He fell over what seemed a log, and found it was the dwarf lying down fast asleep.TN18
They soon woke him up, and until he understood what had happened he was very displeased [> annoyed]. ‘I was having such a good dream, all about having a most gorgeous dinner’ he said.TN19
‘Dreaming about dinner won’t do any good’, said they. [‘These people don’t seem likely to offer us any more. But dreams about food is about all we seem likely to get in this place,’ said he >] ‘and we can’t share it anyway.’
‘But it is the best I seem likely to get in this place!’ he grumbled.
But that was not the last of the lights. Once again, when the night must have been wearing on, Kili who was watching, came and waked them and said:
‘There is a regular blaze of light not far away – just as if many torches and fires had all been lit up suddenly. And hark to the singing’.
This was too much for them, and so after lying and listening a little while they all got up once more. The result was worse than ever. This time Gandalf said he would step forward himself. [It was a >] The feast they looked on was larger and merrier than ever. The elvish folk were passing bowls round and round as across the fires, and some were harping and many singing, but the language seemed strange and they could not catch the words.
Out stepped Gandalf. Out went the lights. The fires went up in dark smoke. Ashes and cinders were in his eyes. The wood was full of cries and voices.
This time they did not find one another at all. Bilbo found himself running round and round (or so he thought) calling and calling Dori Nori, [Ori] Oin Gloin, Fili, Kili, Bombur, Gandalf Dwalin Balin Bifur BofurTN20 – and other people all round seemed to be doing the same (with an occasional Bilbo thrown in). But the other voices got fainter and fainter, [till at last >] and he thought he heard far off cries for help, and shouts, but at last it all died away [and he was >] though he did his best to go in the direction of the calls; and he was quite alone in the dark.TN21
That was one of his most miserable moments. But he soon made up his mind that there was no help for it till ‘morning’. It was no good blundering about tiring himself out, with no hope of breakfast. So he sat down with his back to a tree, and not for the last time fell to thinking of his far distant hobbit-hole, & its beautiful pantries.
He was deep in thoughts of [mutton >] bacon and eggs, and toast and butter, when he felt something touch him. Something like a [string or] sticky rope was against his left hand. He found his left leg was already wrapped in it. He leapt to his feet and fell over. Then the great spider who had been busy beginning to tie him up while he dozed & dreamed came from behind him, and made for him. He could only see the thing’s eyes, but he could feel the hairy legs, as sheTN22 [> it] tried to wind
It was lucky he had come to his senses in time. Soon
he would not have been able to move. As it was he had a horrible fight and struggle. He beat the creature off with his hands – it was trying to poison him to keep him quiet, as small spiders do to flies – until he remembered his sword, and drew it out.
The spider drew back and he had time to cut his leg free. Then it was his turn to attack. The spider was certainly not used to things that carried such stings at their sides, and before it could go off Bilbo came at it and stuck at it with his sword right at its eyes. Then it went mad and leapt and danced, in a horrible fashion, but soon he killed it with another stroke, and then he fell down and remembered no more for some time.
There was the usual grey light of the forest-day when he came to. The spider was dead beside him, and his sword blade was stained black. Somehow the killing of the spider, winning his battle all by himself alone in the dark, without help of dwarves or wizard or anyone else, made quite a difference to Mr Baggins. He felt a different person, and much bolder and fiercer as he put his sword back into its sheath.TN23 More still he sharpened up his wits and he gathered the horrible string of the great spider’s thread together – there seemed an endless amount of it, that the creature had spun wildly out in the battle. Soon he had a huge ball, as much as he could carry. One end he tied to his tree, and then carrying his ball he set out to explore.
By some sort of luck it was not a very great while before in his casting round – and anyways hobbits are rather clever in woods, and can remember differences between trees and the way they grow which would all seem this same to you or me – he came upon the track that they had left. Soon he found the empty skins and bags they had put down before they crept towards the lights. Not that they were much use to him, though it certainly made him feel less lost.
‘Perhaps some of the dwarves will find the way back here too’ he thought as he turned the bags inside out for crumbs, ‘and I suppose I ought to wait here, & not try to go on – or back.’
So he waited, but time went on & he heard no sounds at all. At last he made up his mind that it was his duty to look for his companions. I can tell you he didn’t like it at all, but when he thought of his string he was a bit comforted. He cut it with his sword. Tied the new end to a tree close by the track, and then holding his ball, and also the old end he followed back along the thread he had himself laid until he came to the tree where he had fought the spider. From there he plunged into the forest clutching his ball with one hand, his little sword in the other. And luckily he remembered to put on his ring before he started.
That is why the spiders did not see him coming. Bilbo took care that nothing heard him. Hobbits can do that, as I have told you already. Creeping along in the direction – as far as he cd. guess – from which the cries had come in the night he saw a place of dense black shadow like a patch of night ahead.
It was made by spiders’ webs one behind and over and tangled with another, as he saw as he drew near. There were [added: spiders] huge and horrible sitting in the branches above him, and ring or no ring he was terrified lest they should discover him. Standing behind a tree he watched some of them; and then in the stillness of the wood he suddenly realized that these loathsome and enchanted creatures were speaking one to another; with a sort of low creaking hissing sound, and he cd. make out many of the words.
They were talking about the dwarves!TN24
‘Fine eating they will make’ said one ‘when they have hung a bit’.
‘Don’t hang ’em too long’ said another ‘– they are not as fat as they might be; not been feeding too well of late, I should say’.
‘Well kill ’em then, kill ’em, and hang ’em again dead for a while.’ said a third.
‘They’re dead now I’ll warrant’.
‘That they’re not; I saw one a-struggling just now. Just coming round again, I should say, after a beautiful [> bee-autiful] sleep. I’ll show you!’
Then one of the fat spiders ran along a rope till it came to a dozen bundles hanging up from a branch. Bilbo was horrified, now he noticed them for the first time in the shadows, to see a dwarvish foot stick out of the bottoms of some of these bundles, and here and there a tip of nose, and bit of beard, or hood. [added: The spider went to] One of the fattest of the bundles – ‘that is poor old Bombur I’ll bet’ thought Bilbo – and nipped hard at the toe sticking out. There was muffled yelp inside and the toe shot out and kicked the old spider hard. There was a soft noise like kicking a flabby football, and the spider fell nearly to the ground before its thread caught it.
The others laughed. ‘You were right’ they said. ‘The meat is still alive and kicking’.
‘I’ll soon stop that’ said the angry spider climbing back.
Then Bilbo thought it was time he did something. He could not get up and [at] the brutes, but he found a stone. There was good many here among the leaves and moss on the floor. Now Bilbo was a fair shot. Yes he was. He could blow smoke-rings if you remember, and cook, and do lots of other things which I haven’t told you of. As a boy he used to practise throwing stones [till rabbits >] – though he never meant any harm by it – still rabbits and squirrels and even birds got out of his way if he stooped in
There was a deal of commotion among the spiders then you can guess, and he forgot about the dwarves for a bit, I can tell you. They couldn’t see Bilbo but they made a very good guess where
The Hobbit lost no time in slipping off to a different point. Now his idea was to get the spiders away from the dwarves, if he could. There seemed fifty of them at least. The only thing was to get them excited, curious, and angry all at once. So when a good many had gone off to his old place he threw another stone at those that stopped behind; and dancing among the trees he began to sing a song to infuriate them (and to let the dwarves hear his voice).
This is what he sang:–TN26
Old fat spider spinning in a tree,
old fat spider can’t see me!
Attercop! Attercop!
Won’t you stop,
Stop your spinning and look for me?
Old Tom-noddy, all big body,
Old Tom-noddy can’t spy me!
Attercop! Attercop!
Down you drop,
You’ll never catch me up your tree!
With that he threw some more stones, & stamped. Some more spiders came towards him. Some dropped to the ground; others ran along the branches, swung from tree to tree, or cast new ropes across the dark spaces. They were after his noise quicker than ever he expected. And they were angry. No spider likes being called Attercop;TN27 Tom-noddy of course is insulting to anyone, spider or anybody else.TN28
The hobbit scuttled off to a new place, but others of the spiders were busy spinning webs across all the spaces between the trunks. Very soon the hobbit would be caught in a very hedge of them – that was their idea, anyway.
Still [in a new place>] standing in the middle of the hunting and spinning spiders he plucked up courage, and began a new song.
‘Lazy lob [>Lob] and crazy CobTN29
are weaving webs to wind me
I am far more sweet than other meat,
but still they cannot find me!
Here am I, naughty little fly;
You are fat and lazy.
I laughing fly as I go by
Through your cobwebs crazy!’
Then he turned and found the last space between two tall trees close together was closed with a web – not a proper web,
but great strands of spider rope run quickly backwards and forwards from trunk to trunk. Out came his sword. He slashed the web to pieces and went off singing. The spiders heard, and they saw the sword I expect, though I don’t suppose they knew what it was. At any rate they all came now hurry him after on ground and branch, hairy legs waving, nippers and spinners snapping, eyes popping, full of rage. They followedTN30 him into the forest as far as Bilbo dared go. Then he went quicker than a mouse and stole back.
He had precious little time, he knew, before they were disgusted and came back. The worst of all the jobs was getting up into the tree where the dwarves were hung. Luckily a spider had left a rope dangling down and with its help though it stuck to his hand and hurt him, he reached the lowest branch, and got up at last – to meet an old slow wicked spider who had remained behind to guard the prisoners and was busy pinching them to see which was fattest. HeTN31 thought of trying one, while the others were away hunting the noise in the forest.
He hadn’t much chance with Mr Baggins who was in a hurry – and he couldn’t see him. But he saw and felt his little sword, and soon fell off the branch dead.
The next bad job was to loose a dwarf. If he cut the string which hung each up, the wretched dwarf would fall bump to the ground a good way below, but what else was he to do?
Wriggling along the branch (which made all the poor dwarves dance and dangle like ripe fruit) he reached one bundle.
‘Fili or Kili’ he thought, by the tip of a blue hood sticking out. ‘Fili rather’ by the long nose also sticking out.TN32 He managed by leaning over to cut most of the strong sticky threads that bound him; and sure enough with a kick and a struggle most of Fili emerged. I am afraid Mr Baggins very nearly laughed at the sight of him jerking his stiff arms and legs as he danced on the spider string under the arm pits (like one of those funny toys hanging on a wire). But somehow or other he managed to help Fili up on to the branch. Then with his help they hauled up first one dwarf and then another, although poor Fili was feeling very sick and ill from the spider’s poison, and hanging most of the night & the next day, and being wound round and round with only his nose to breathe through. It took him ages to get the beastly stuff out of his eyes and eyebrows – and as for his beard he had to cut most of it off.