If the rain and storm were not bad enough soon stone-giants came out throwing huge rocks. Everyone was tired of getting drenched and were fearful of being crushed by a boulder as the stone-giants played on. Fili and Kili, since they had the youngest and sharpest eyes of the Dwarves, were sent to scout out a safer location, particularly since Bilbo was in no condition to do so. "There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something (or so Thorin said to the young dwarves). You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after. So it proved on this occasion" (p. 68, The Hobbit)
Fili and Kili returned rather quickly with the good news of a dry cave. Gandalf was wary and asked them if they thoroughly explored it. They said yes even though everyone knew they came back too soon for that to be true. But wanting to be dry and safe they moved into the cave which was not far away. Gandalf wanted to be extra cautious so he lit his staff and looked around the cave and thought it to be safe enough. Still he did not permit a fire to be lit in case evil things lurked. The trouble with caves though, is you can never be too sure.
"It turned out a good thing that night that they had brought little Bilbo with them, after all. For, somehow, he could not go to sleep for a long while; and when he did sleep, he had very nasty dreams. He dreamed that a crack in the wall at the back of the cave got bigger and bigger, and opened wider and wider, and he was very afraid but could not call out or do anything but lie and look. Then he dreamed that the floor of the cave was giving way, and he was slipping--beginning to fall down, goodness knows where to" (p. 70, The Hobbit). This woke the hobbit from his fragile sleep and he found the first portion of his dream true: a crack had opened and he saw the last of the ponies (and their supplies!) go through. Bilbo yelled and this proved very good.
Just has he yelled goblins upon goblins issued from the crack. The Dwarves and Bilbo were quickly captured and carried off. But Gandalf heard Bilbo's yell. "It had wakened him up wide in a splintered second, and when goblins came to grab him, there was a terrible flash like lightening in the cave, a smell like gunpowder, and several of them fell dead" (p. 70-71, The Hobbit). But the crack closed and the goblins forced the Dwarves and Bilbo by whip down, down, down, into the mountain singing some nasty songs along the way. Eventually the came to a great room with a red fire and many more goblins. The ponies were huddled in the corner (waiting to be eaten) and the supplies were already stolen or broken. "There in the shadows on a large flat stone sat a tremendous goblin with a huge head, and armed goblins were standing round him carrying the axes and the bent swords they use" (p. 73, The Hobbit). For if there is one thing Orcs can make it's weapons and devices of torture.
The Great Goblin began to interrogate the company asking them their purpose, or rather accusing them of being spies, thieves, murderers, and Elf-friends. Thorin introduced himself and declared none of the accusations true. The Great Goblin did asked for further explanation saying: "'In fact I should like to know all about you. Not that it will do 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!'" (p. 74, The Hobbit). Thorin, in a pinch, said they were only seeking to find their family and descendants on the other side of the mountain. At this one of the goblins that captured them declared him a liar revealing Thorin's sword Orcist, the Goblin-cleaver, or as the goblins themselves referred to it: Biter.
"'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 that he jumped off his seat and himself rushed at Thorin with his mouth open" (p. 75, The Hobbit). Things were not looking good for Thorin and friends but as was said earlier it was good that they had Bilbo with them for he had waked Gandalf. "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 white sparks all among the goblins" (p. 75, The Hobbit). The sparks burned the goblins and left them scurrying away due to the pain. Gandalf's sword Glamdring (which the Orcs called Beater) shone blue as it cleaved the head of the Great Goblin off.
Gandalf called for the Dwarves to follow him and the ran down a path before the goblins came to their senses. The Dwarves took turns carrying Bilbo to move faster but the goblins knew the caves better and kept gaining on them. "'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" (p. 77, The Hobbit). Gandalf and Thorin held off the goblins with their swords (Gandalf had salvaged Orcrist in the melee) as the rest of the company took flight again. Several goblins were ran through and the rest fled in terror as Biter and Beater glowed blue in joy at killing goblins.
Once again the company fled. Once again the goblins pursued but this time secretly without torches with only the swiftest runners. "That is why neither Bilbo, nor the dwarves, nor even Gandalf heard them coming" (p. 78, The Hobbit). Indeed the goblins were neither seen nor heard. "Quite suddenly Dori, now at the back again carrying Bilbo, was grabbed from behind in the dark. He shouted and fell; and the hobbit rolled off his shoulders into the blackness, bumped his head on hard rock, and remembered nothing more" (p. 78, The Hobbit). What happens next was not in the plans for the quest for Erebor but would have a bigger impact on Middle-earth then Gandalf could even imagine.
Middle-earth timeline: Third Age, 2941 (summer)
Today's reading comes from: The Hobbit, pages 65-78
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