and, taking shelter from a storm, are captured by goblins and taken under the
mountain to be killed. Gandalf again helps free them and as they escape Bilbo falls,
hits his head, and is left behind in the dark tunnel. !
# Alone in the dark, Bilbo finds a ring on the ground and puts it in his pocket.
He continues down the tunnel until he arrives at an underground lake. A creature
called Gollum, who lives on a tiny island in the middle of the lake, arrives to
investigate (and consider eating) Bilbo. The two end up engaging in a riddle contest:
if Gollum wins, he gets to eat Bilbo, and if Bilbo wins, Gollum will show him the way
out of the mountain. After a tense contest, Bilbo stumps Gollum with the question
‘What have I got in my pocket?’ which is technically a cheat. Gollum goes back to
his island to find his prized possession, a ring that makes the wearer invisible, and
kill Bilbo. He cannot find the ring and becomes distressed — and suspicious. Bilbo
realises Gollum means to attack him and flees, Gollum in hot pursuit. Bilbo trips, the
ring slips onto his finger, and Gollum runs right past him; Bilbo realises he is
invisible. Bilbo follows Gollum to the exit, takes pity on him, and decides not to kill
him. Instead he leaps over Gollum’s head and exits the mountain, finding the
Dwarves again.!
# The goblins and their Warg allies (large, intelligent, evil wolves) pursue the
party that night, but they are rescued by gigantic Eagles, who owe Gandalf a debt.
The company stays for several days with a man called Beorn, who can shape-shift
into a bear, before heading on to Mirkwood, which they must cross to reach the
Lonely Mountain. Gandalf departs on an errand to defeat an evil sorcerer called the
Necromancer, and the rest of the party enters Mirkwood without him. After a long
time in the dark and miserable forest, low on supplies, they disregard Gandalf and
Beorn’s orders not to leave the path, trying to join a feast held by the Wood-Elves.
They get lost and are captured by giant spiders; Bilbo proves his worth by rescuing
all the Dwarves and killing many of the spiders. The Elves, under the leadership of
King Thranduil, then capture the Dwarves and imprison them. Bilbo sneaks invisibly
into Thranduil’s palace and eventually manages to free the Dwarves by packing
them all into empty wine-barrels the Elves send down the river to Lake-town.!
# The party reveal their identities in Lake-town and are welcomed by the
people, who are excited to hear that someone is finally going to kill the dragon
(though some are skeptical). They arrive at the Lonely Mountain and struggle to find
the secret door —$until Bilbo, hearing a thrush knocking on a stone, looks up and
sees the last sunlight of Durin’s Day shining on the cliff wall, revealing the entrance.
Bilbo is sent down to encounter Smaug, whom he answers in clever riddles, and
steals a golden cup from the hoard. Smaug is enraged by the theft, and suspects
that the party had the help of Lake-town. He leaves the Lonely Mountain unguarded
— which the Dwarves enter to escape his fire — and goes to destroy Lake-town.
The Thrush, part of an ancient race of birds who can communicate with men, hears
Bilbo describe a bare patch in Smaug’s treasure-crusted armour, and conveys this
information to a Lake-town man called Bard, a descendant of the Lords of Dale,
who shoots and kills Smaug as the dragon ravages the town.!
# The men of Lake-town go to the Dwarves in the Lonely Mountain and make
historical claims on a portion of the treasure, which they want to use to rebuild the
town. Thranduil and the Wood-Elves also arrive, also making historical claims on the
treasure. The Dwarves refuse all comers and instead summon Thorin’s kinsman
Dáin for military support. Thorin is sinking deeper into ‘dragon sickness’ and
obsession with the gold. Bilbo, attempting to avoid war, steals the prized
