in fire. By that time all the bells were ringing in Dale and the warriors were arming. The dwarves rushed out
of their great gate; but there was the dragon waiting for them. None escaped that way. The river rushed up in
steam and a fog fell on Dale, and in the fog the dragon came on them and destroyed most of the warriors-the
usual unhappy story, it was only too common in those days. Then he went back and crept in through the Front
Gate and routed out all the halls, and lanes, and tunnels, alleys, cellars, mansions and passages. After
that there were no dwarves left alive inside, and he took all their wealth for himself. Probably, for that is the
dragons way, he has piled it all up in a great heap far inside, and sleeps on it for a bed. Later he used to crawl
out of the great gate and come by night to Dale, and carry away people, especially maidens, to eat, until Dale
was ruined, and all the people dead or gone. What goes on there now I dont know for certain, but I dont
suppose anyone lives nearer to the Mountain than the far edge of the Long Lake now-a-days.
Tolkien, 1937:18-19
3.2. Rising Action
Roaming about the tunnels, Bilbo finds an unusual golden ring and puts it into his pocket. Shortly, after he faces Gollum, an ugly and hissing creature who
lives in caverns and hunts fish and goblins. Gollum wants to kill Bilbo, but Bilbo wins the fight and realizes that the ring is magic and is Gollums favourite
possession. He puts the ring on and becomes invisible. Bilbo finds a short way leading up out of the goblins tunnels and meets Gandalf and the dwarves who
have already escaped. The group travels further, but the giant wolfs, known as Wargs, pursue them, and they have to climb up trees to survive. The situation gets
worse when goblins come, but luckily Bilbo and his comrades are rescued by a group of great eagles who fly them to their safety nest.
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What have I, I wonder? he said to himself, as he panted and stumbled along. He put his left hand in his
pocket. The ring felt very cold as it quietly slipped on to his groping forefinger. The hiss was close behind him.
He turned now and saw Gollums eyes like small green lamps coming up the slope. Terrified he tried to run
faster, but suddenly he struck his toes on a snag in the floor, and fell flat with his little sword under him. In a
moment Gollum was on him. But before Bilbo could do anything, recover his breath, pick himself up, or wave
his sword, Gollum passed by, taking no notice of him, cursing and whispering as he ran.
Tolkien, 1937:60
In a moment it spread to the others. The bark caught fire, the lower branches cracked. Then Gandalf climbed to the top of his tree. The sudden
splendour flashed from his wand like lightning, as he got ready to spring down from on high right among the spears of the goblins. That would have been the end
of him, though he would probably have killed many of them as he came hurtling down like a thunderbolt. But he never leaped. Just at that moment the Lord of the
Eagles swept down from above, seized him in his talons, and was gone.
There was a howl of anger and surprise from the goblins. Loud cried the Lord of the Eagles, to whom
Gandalf had now spoken. Back swept the great birds that were with him, and down they came like huge
black shadows. The wolves yammered and gnashed their teeth; the goblins yelled and stamped with rage,
and flung their heavy spears in the air in vain. Over them swooped the eagles; the dark rush of their beating
wings smote them to the floor or drove them far away; their talons tore at goblin faces. Other birds flew to the
tree-tops and seized the dwarves, who were scrambling up now as far as ever they dared to go.
Tolkien, 1937:77
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They are captured by giant spiders, but Bilbo frees himself and kills a giant spider with the sword found in the trolls cave, he names it Sting. With the
help of the ring Bilbo becomes invisible, frees the dwarves from the spiders webs and reveals a secret of the magic ring.
It was difficult to get them to understand, what with their dizzy heads, and the shouts, and the whacking of
sticks and the throwing of stones; but at last Bilbo felt he could delay no longer-the spiders were drawing their
circle ever closer. He suddenly slipped on his ring, and to the great astonishment of the dwarves he vanished.
Tolkien, 1937:118
Hoping desperately that Bilbo had not been caught the dwarves went on. Not fast enough, though. They were sick and weary, and they could not go much
better than a hobble and a wobble, though many of the spiders were close behind. Every now and then they had to turn and fight the creatures that were overtaking
them and already some spiders were in the trees above them and throwing down their long clinging threads.
Things were looking pretty bad again, when suddenly Bilbo appeared and charged into the astonished spiders
unexpectedly from the side. Tolkien, 1937:118
Shortly after the fight with spiders, the group, except Bilbo, is caught by the wood elves living near the river which runs through the forest. Bilbo spends
weeks, wandering around the palace of the Elvenking and thinking over a plan to free his companions. Using the ring, Bilbo helps the dwarves to slink away from
the elves; he hides them in empty wine barrels and floats down the river to
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Esgaroth or Lake-town, a human town near the Lonely Mountain, where the dragon lives.
Bilbo, however, did not feel nearly so hopeful as they did. He did not like being depended on by everyone, and he
wished he had the wizard at hand. But that was no use: probably all the dark distance of Mirkwood lay between
them. He sat and thought and thought, until his head nearly burst, but no bright idea would come. One
invisible ring was a very fine thing, but it was not much good among fourteen. But of course, as you have
guessed, he did rescue his friends in the end, and this is how it happened.
Tolkien, 1937:126
3.3. Climax
