Chapter 5 Section 5 Guessing in the dark

When Bilbo opened his eyes, he wondered if he had really opened them, for it was still dark and unchanged, and there was no one near him.You can imagine how scared he was!He could hear nothing, see nothing, and feel nothing but the floor beneath his feet. He got up very, very slowly, groping on all fours, until at last he found the tunnel wall; but up and down he felt nothing: nothing!There was no sign of an orc, no sign of a dwarf, and he felt that the world was spinning, and he couldn't even determine the direction before he fell.He could only barely guess a possible direction, and then climbed a long distance in that direction, until his hand suddenly touched a metal object on the ground that looked like a cold ring.It was a turning point in his career, but he didn't know it yet, and he put the ring in his pocket without thinking, because it didn't look like it would be useful at the time.Then, for a long time, he didn't want to move at all, but just leaned against the wall in despair.He thought again of the blissful days when he was frying bacon and scrambled eggs in the kitchen at home, because his internal biological clock could tell him precisely that it was meal time, but the thought only made him feel more pitiful.

He couldn't figure out what to do, and he didn't understand what happened, or why he was abandoned by everyone, and if he was really abandoned, why didn't the orcs catch him?Why does his head feel so painful?The truth of the matter is: he just lay silently in a blind spot that was difficult for others to find, and he lay there for a long time. After much self-pity, he fumbled for his pipe, which was surprisingly unbroken; then fumbled for his bag, for there was still some tobacco in it; and finally, he began to find matches on his person. ──However, after all, this is too extravagant.He couldn't find any matches at all, and his dream was shattered.When he finally regained his senses, he was very glad that he couldn't find a match, because he really couldn't imagine that the light of the match and the smell of tobacco would attract any monsters in this invisible place.Even so, he felt very frustrated at the time.After groping all over his body, he happened to touch the hilt of the dagger on his body. This dagger was the weapon he had found from the ogre cave before. Since it was never useful, he only remembered it now.Moreover, since he had kept the weapon hidden in his shirt, even the Orcs hadn't found it.

At this moment, he pulled out the dagger, and it shone pale and faintly in the darkness. "It turns out that this is also a weapon made by elves," he thought. "The distance between orcs is not too close, but it is not too far." At least he had some kind of security.To be able to wear the weapons of Gondolin, to make myself feel like someone important in the Orc wars of the song.In addition, he also noticed that when the orcs suddenly encountered such weapons, they would be quite panicked. "Go back?" he thought: "Better not! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? This is the only hope! Let's go!" Holding on to the wall and walking forward, my heart was beating non-stop.

Now, for Bilbo, the situation was indeed desperate.However, everyone should know that hobbits will not be as desperate as you and me when faced with this situation.Hobbits are different from us ordinary people. Although the caves they live in are well-ventilated and cutely decorated, at least they are more accustomed to these underground tunnels than we are, and they are better able to maintain a sense of direction underground. (Of course, after their swollen heads return to normal, they will not go wrong.) In addition, they can move silently, easily hide their whereabouts, and the speed of recovery after injury is amazing; There is a basketful of old proverbs that mankind has either never heard or long forgotten.

Even so, I would hate to be in the same situation as Mr. Baggins.The tunnel seemed to never end, and he could only be sure that the tunnel continued steadily forward, with an occasional turn or twist in the middle.Sometimes, through the light of the sword in his hand, or the result of touching the cave wall, it can be determined that there is a side road leading to other directions.He didn't pay much attention to these side roads, and walked quickly whenever he came across them, hoping to avoid the goblins or other horrible creatures he imagined.He walked and walked, and kept going down, hearing nothing but the occasional patter of bats flying past his ears.At first he would be taken aback by these annoying wing sounds, but as the number of times increased, he would no longer be surprised.I don't know how long he persisted like this. He didn't want to go on, but he didn't dare to stop. He just kept going. In the end, he was so tired that he couldn't describe it. He seemed to have walked non-stop for several times. sky.

Suddenly, without warning, he stepped into the water!Wow!The water was icy cold, which made him suddenly refreshed.He didn't know if it was a pool of water on the road, or an underground river cutting through the tunnel, or the edge of some subterranean lake.At this point, the sword almost no longer emits any light.As he paused to concentrate, he could hear the dripping of water from the roof of the cave into the water, but there seemed to be no other sound. "It looks like this should be a pool or a lake," he thought.But he still didn't dare to rush into the darkness rashly.He couldn't swim, and he began to picture the slimy creatures in the water, with their protruding blind eyes exploring the water.Indeed, there are strange creatures in the pools or lakes at the bottom of the mountains: strange fishes evolved through countless ages, whose ancestors accidentally swam into this dead end, and could never leave.Their eyes, on the other hand, evolved to be larger and larger in response to the need to see in low light.In addition, there are many more slimy and disgusting creatures than this underground fish.Even in the caves dug by the orcs, creatures that they don't know sneak in and live.Some caves existed before the orcs moved in, and they just expanded and used them to open up to each other.In these caves, the original owners still sneak around the corners quietly, looking for opportunities to hunt unsuspecting prey.

Beside this pool of black water lived Gollum, a small, slimy creature.I don't know where he came from, or who he is, or what creature he is.He was Gollum, as elusive as the darkness, with large pale round eyes in a thin face.He had a small boat by which he could paddle silently on the lake; and the water was a lake indeed, wide and deep and icy cold.He paddled his big webbed feet over the side of the boat without a single blister, just the way he did things without making a sound.He used to search the lake for blind fish with his big pale eyes like oil lamps and catch them with his long, lightning-fast fingers.He also liked meat, and whenever he could get goblins, he would take the chance to enjoy them, but he was careful not to let the goblins know of him.Whenever a goblin came to the water's edge while he was prowling the lake, he strangled the hapless prey from behind.However, the half-orcs also felt that there seemed to be evil forces lurking in the dark lake deep underground, so they didn't often appear in this place.Long ago, when they were digging tunnels, they came to this lake, when they found that the passage could not go on, so the road was broken.Orcs have no reason to come here in normal times, unless the King sends them.Sometimes, the king would suddenly want to eat the fish in the lake, but in many experiences, the fish and the messenger disappeared.

In fact, Gollum dwelt on a wet rock in the lake.He was watching Bilbo from afar now, with large eyes like telescopes.Bilbo couldn't see him, but he could see him clearly, and he was very curious, because he could clearly tell that the creature in front of him was not a half-orc. When Bilbo was groping along the shore in despair and bewilderment, Gollum jumped into the boat and pushed himself and the boat away from the shore with his big feet.Gollum approached so silently, and began to whisper: "My darling, bless us, good luck! I think it's a good meal, at least as a delicious snack for us, Gollum!" When he said Gollum, he let out a groan from his throat. A horrible swallowing sound.That's how he got the title, though he always called himself "my baby".

When the hobbit heard the sound, he nearly jumped out of his wits with fright, and the great pale eyes came to him at the same time. "Who are you?" He raised the dagger forward. "Who does he hiss, my darling?" whispered Gollum. (Since there is no one else to talk to, he always prefers to talk to himself).At this time, he was really sure that he was not very hungry, but just curious; otherwise, according to the usual practice, he would strike first and then talk. "I am Mr. Bilbo Baggins, and I am separated from the dwarf and the wizard, and I don't know where I am. I don't care to know where this is, if I can get out of here."

"What's in his hand?" Gollum looked at the dagger that made him feel uncomfortable. "A sword, the sword of Gondolin!" "Hiss," Gollum said, becoming quite polite, "maybe you can sit here with hiss and chat with him, my darling. He likes to guess riddles, doesn't he hiss?" He was anxious to express his kindness , in exchange for time to learn more about the hobbit and the sword: Is he really all alone?Does it taste good?Gollum himself was hungry or not.Guessing riddles was the only trick he could think of at the time, and when he lived in his cave long, long ago, guessing riddles with other interesting creatures was the only entertainment he was interested in; Drill down alone, down, down, all the way to the deepest part of the mountains.

"Well," said Bilbo eagerly, in exchange for time to get to know the creature: to see if he was alone and helpless, and if he was ferocious or hungry, and if he was an ally of the Orcs. "You ask first," he said, for he couldn't think of any riddle for a while. Gollum hissed: "What has feet and no one knows, taller than trees, towering into the sky, But never grow taller? " "Easy!" said Bilbo. "I think it's the mountains." "It thinks it's easy? My baby, it must compare with us! If the baby asks a question and it doesn't know the answer, we will eat it, my baby! If it asks us a question, we can't answer it." Come out, then it can take whatever it wants, okay? We can take it out, right!" "Okay!" Bilbo didn't dare to disagree. In order not to let himself be eaten, he began to rack his brains to think of puzzles that stumped the other party. Thirty white horses stand on a red hill, They chew first, Then stomp hard, Finally stood still. It was a puzzle he had come up with at the time, because he was still preoccupied with eating.It is a rather old riddle, indeed, and Gollum knows the answer as well as you. "Easy, easy," he hissed, "Teeth! Teeth! My darling, but we only have six!" Then he asked a second riddle: Mouthless yet weeping, Fly without wings, Toothless but stinging, No voice but murmurs. "Give me a moment!" Bilbo's mind was still full of food.Fortunately, he had heard similar riddles before, and it was not easy for him to regain his composure and come up with the answer: "It's the wind, of course, it must be the wind!" pride. "This will make that little underground guy want to break his head!" he said: There is one eye in the blue face, Saw one eye on the green face. "That eye is like this eye," First Eye says: "But on the ground, And not in the sky. " "Hiss, hiss, hiss," said Gollum.He had lived underground for a long, long time and had forgotten such things.But just when Bilbo began to think the fellow couldn't think of an answer, Gollum called back memories of long, long ago, when he lived with his grandmother in the hole by the river, "Hiss, hiss , my darling," he said, "that's what the sun is on the daisy, yes." However, these memories of daily life on the ground made him feel very tired, and also reminded him that he was not such a sneaky and lonely life back then, which made his temper turn bad, so this time he came up with Another more difficult and uncomfortable riddle: Can't see it, can't touch it, Can't hear it, can't smell it. It hides behind the stars, under the hills, Can fill voids. it comes first, would end lives and kill laughter. Gollum was very unlucky, for Bilbo had heard such riddles before, and he knew the answer before the other had finished speaking. "It's darkness!" He solved the puzzle without even scratching his head or turning his head around. Boxes without lids, keyholes, and hinges, But there is a golden treasure hidden inside. He asked the question only to buy time to come up with a really difficult puzzle.He thinks that even a three-year-old child can answer this question, but he just modified the text description.To Gollum, however, it was a difficult riddle.He kept hissing, couldn't think of an answer, and finally, he started mumbling to himself, making popping noises. After a while, Bilbo grew impatient. "Well, what is the answer? From the sound of your voice, I must tell you that the answer is not a boiling pot." "Give us a chance, give us a chance, my baby, hiss—hiss." "Okay," said Bilbo, after giving him a long chance, "can you guess it?" Then Gollum had a sudden idea, remembering how long ago he stole from the bird's nest, and he sat by the river and taught his grandmother how to suck--"It's an egg!" he hissed, "It's an egg!" !” Then he came up with a riddle: live but not breathe, cold with dead air; never thirsty, never drink water; Wearing scale armor, but don't need to carry it. For him, he also felt that this puzzle could not be simpler; because usually his mind is full of this thing, even eating.It's just that he's so distracted by the egg puzzle that he can't think of any other better challenge.However, for Bilbo the landlubber, this problem was a problem that caught him off guard.I guess you should know the answer, at least you can guess it in the blink of an eye; of course, because you are sitting comfortably at home at this time, and you don't need to worry about being eaten if you guess wrong.Bilbo sat up straight and coughed a few times, but still couldn't think of an answer. After a while, Gollum began to hiss with delight. "Is it good, my darling? Is it fat and juicy? Or is it crispy and soft?" He began to study Bilbo in the dark. "Half a minute," said the hobbit with a shudder, "I gave you a long chance before." "Quick, quick!" Gollum began to climb out of the boat, ready to pounce on the feast.Unfortunately, just as he was putting his webbed foot into the water, a startled fish jumped out and landed on Bilbo's toe. "Damn!" he said, "It's so cold and so wet!" Then he blurted out, "Fish! Fish!" He yelled, "It's fish!" Gollum was very disappointed, but Bilbo didn't give him any chance to breathe, and immediately threw the next puzzle, so that Gollum could crawl back into the boat and think about it. Put the one without legs on one leg, The one with two legs sits on three, Four-legged ones get a little too. It was not a very good time to ask the question, but Bilbo had no choice.Had he chosen to ask the question at another time, Gollum might not have guessed it for a moment.However, since they just mentioned fish, it is not difficult to guess the "legless" one. Once this part is determined, the rest is easy. "The fish is on the tea table, the people are sitting on the stools beside it, and the cat is gnawing on the fish bones." Of course, this is the answer, and Gulu quickly guessed it.Then, he decided it was time for some scary, difficult puzzles.So he said: it will devour everything, Insects, fish, birds, animals, flowers, trees, Bites through pig iron, eats through gold; turning rocks into fly ash, Killed the king, slaughtered the town, The vicissitudes of life turn into mulberry fields, and the high mountains become plains. Poor Bilbo sat in the dark, thinking of the names of all the giants and ogres in the stories he had heard, but none of these creatures, no matter how horrible, possessed such supernatural powers.He had a hunch that the answer must be different from what he thought, but he just couldn't think of it.He began to be nervous and afraid, which did not help him to think calmly.Gollum was about to climb out of the boat again, and coming up to him, he jumped into the water, pattering to the bank.Bilbo could see his eyes kept moving this way.Bilbo's tongue seemed to be stuck in his mouth, and he wanted to cry out, "Give me a little more time, give me a little more time!" But his clumsy tongue could only utter: "Time! Time!" It was pure Bilbo's luck, for that happened to be the answer. Again Gollum was disappointed, and now he was in a bad temper, and tired of the game.The guessing process actually made him hungry.This time, instead of going back to the boat, he sat down beside Bilbo.This frightened the hobbit so much that his head almost turned into paste and flowed from his ears. "It can only ask one more question, my darling, hiss, hiss, hiss. Only one more question, yes, hiss..." said Gollum. But with such a cold, wet creature sitting beside him, prodding and touching him, Bilbo couldn't think of any question.He scratched and pinched himself, but he couldn't squeeze out the problem. "Ask us! Ask us!" said Gollum. Bilbo pinched and slapped himself several times; he grasped the hilt of his sword, and even reached into his pocket with his other hand.Then, he touched the ring that he had picked up in the tunnel earlier, but had completely forgotten. "What's in my pocket?" he said aloud.He was only talking to himself, but Gollum thought it a riddle, and was rather displeased. "Not fair! Not fair!" he hissed. "It's not fair, my darling, is it, and who knows what's in its dirty pockets?" Only then did Bilbo understand what was the matter, and as he could think of no better question, he said louder: "What's in my pocket?" "Hiss-ss-ss," hissed Gollum, "it will take us three guesses, three times, my darling!" "Well! Guess, then!" said Bilbo. "Hand!" said Gollum. "Wrong," said Bilbo, luckily he had just taken out his hand. "Guess again!" "Hiss—hiss—hiss," said Gollum, more frustrated than ever before.He thought about all the things he would have put in his pockets: fish bones, goblin teeth, shells, bat wings, stones for grinding teeth, and other disgusting things.He tried to think about what other people might have in their pockets. "Knife!" he guessed at last. "Wrong again!" said Bilbo, who had lost his pocket knife not so long ago. "last chance!" Gollum is in worse shape now than when he was asked about the egg puzzle.He hissed, popped, and kept shaking his head back and forth, stomping on the floor, shaking and writhing, but he didn't dare to waste the last chance lightly. "Hurry up!" said Bilbo, "I'm waiting for you!" He tried to sound optimistic and brave, but he wasn't quite sure how the game would turn out, whether Gollum guessed right or wrong. end. "Time's up!" he said. "A thread, or nothing!" Gollum's approach was not fair, because he guessed two things at once. "It's all wrong," cried Bilbo, feeling relieved.Immediately he sprang to his feet, leaning his back against the nearest cave wall, and drew his dagger.Of course he knows that guessing riddles is a very sacred thing, even cunning and malicious creatures dare not cheat during the game; however, he does not believe that the guy in front of him will keep his word so easily, as long as this guy has any reason , may find a way to break the contract.Not only that, but he also had his own reasons. According to the ancient rules, the last question is not really a riddle. Gollum, at least, did not attack him at once.He could see the sword in Bilbo's hand, but he sat on the ground trembling and murmuring.At last Bilbo grew impatient. "How?" He said, "Didn't you promise me? I want to go, you must take me out." "Did we say that, baby? Let that nasty little man out, yes, yes. But what's in his pocket anyway? No lint, baby, and nothing at all. Oh no! Gollum!" "Don't mind so much," said Bilbo, "you must keep your word!" "The fellow is impatient, baby," Gollum hissed. "But it has to wait, yes, wait, we can't go out in such a hurry. We have to collect things first, yes, get something that can help us." "Well, come on!" Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that Gollum would be away for a while.However, after thinking about it, he felt that he might just find a reason to leave and was not going to come back.What useful things could he find on the lake? But he was wrong, Gollum did want to come back.He was angry and hungry now, and being a vicious fellow, he had now come up with a plan. Not far away was his little island, of which Bilbo knew nothing; and in this hiding place of his lay several disgusting things, and a very beautiful treasure, very beautiful and very good.He had a ring--a gold ring, a precious ring. "My birthday present!" he said to himself, and he'd been saying it to himself since ages ago. "We want it now, yes we want it!" The reason he thinks so is because the ring has magic powers, if you put it on your finger it becomes invisible, only visible in bright sunlight and only through your blurred shadows , to know your whereabouts. "My birthday present! I got it for my birthday, baby," he kept saying to himself.However, who knows how Gollum got this ring back then?In that ancient era, there were many such rings in the world, but no one knows about them now... Maybe even the owner who controls all the rings cannot be sure.Gollum wore it on his hands all the time at first, and then he got tired of it; then he would keep it in the pouch next to his body, and it scraped him.Now, he usually hides it under the rocks of the island and returns to admire this treasure from time to time.He would wear it sometimes when he could no longer bear the loneliness of being apart from it, or when he was too hungry to eat fish.Then, noiselessly, he would make his way down the tunnels, searching for lone orcs.He even dared to sneak into the torched tunnel, because he knew that even if the fire made his eyes blink and tears flow, he was still safe.Oh yes, quite safe!No one could spot him, no one would notice, just wait for his fingers to wrap around their necks.He had only worn the ring a few hours before, when he had caught a hapless little orc who was screaming terribly!He still had a bone or two left to chew on, but now he wanted softer meat. "Pretty safe, yes," he said to himself, "it can't see us, baby, can't it? Yes. It can't see us, and its smelly sword won't do any good, yeah .” That was all he could think of when he suddenly left Bilbo's side and jumped back into the boat.Bilbo thought he would never see him again.However, he waited for a while, because he didn't know how he was going to find his way out. Suddenly, he heard a growl that sent shivers down his spine.Gollum kept cursing and roaring in the darkness, and it didn't seem too far away from the sound.He stood on the island, rummaging around, searching in vain. "Where is it? Where is it?" Bilbo heard him cry. "Lost it, my baby, lost it! Curse us, we are damned, my baby is gone!" "What happened?" cried Bilbo. "What did you lose?" "It doesn't ask us," screamed Gollum. "It's not his business! No, Gollum! It's gone, Gollum, Gollum, Gollum." "Well, my way out is gone, too," cried Bilbo, "I want to get out of here, I won the race, and you promised me. Come on! Get me out quickly, and then you can Keep looking!" Though Gollum sounded so pitiful, Bilbo found himself unable to wrangle much sympathy.He had a feeling that since Gollum wanted it so much, it must not be a good thing. "Coming soon!" he yelled. "No, no, not yet, dear!" replied Gollum. "We'll have to look for it. It's gone, Gollum." "But you missed my last question at all, and you promised to take me out," said Bilbo. "No guess!" said Gollum.Then, suddenly, there was a hiss in the darkness: "What the hell is in its pocket? Tell us, he must speak first!" From Bilbo's point of view, there was no reason why he should not tell the other party the answer.Gollum thought faster than he, though; and it was only natural, for all these years he had had only one thing in his mind, and was always afraid of it being stolen.But at the moment Bilbo just didn't like the fact that he was always looking for reasons to delay, after all, he had taken great risks to win the quiz. “Answers should be guessed, not asked,” he said. "But it's not a fair question," said Gollum. "It's not a riddle, my dear, it isn't." "Oh, well, if you just want to ask questions," answered Bilbo, "then let me ask first: what have you lost? Tell me!" "What's in its pocket?" The voice grew louder and sharper.As he looked at the source of the sound, Bilbo saw with alarm that two lights were staring at him.Gollum became suspicious, and his eyes seemed to burn with pale flames. "What have you lost?" Bilbo insisted. At this moment, the light in Gollum's eyes began to turn into green flames, and they came closer and closer.Gollum jumped into the boat again, and began paddling wildly toward the shore.His heart was full of anger and hatred, and no sword could threaten him anymore. Bilbo could not guess what had made the fellow so angry, but he knew it was all over and Gollum would kill him at last.He turned around immediately, leaning on the wall with his left hand, and ran back as fast as he could. "What's in its pocket?" He could hear the hiss still in pursuit, and the splash of Gollum jumping over the boat. "Wonder what the hell I have?" he said to himself, panting as he ran.He put his left hand in his pocket, the ring was cold to the touch, and at the same time slid it silently on his index finger. The hiss was getting closer.He turned and could see Gollum's eyes rushing up the slope like little lights.He ran faster and faster in fear, but accidentally kicked into a crack in the floor, a dog ate shit and fell to the ground, pressing the sword under his body. Just at that instant Gollum caught up with him.But before Bilbo had time to get up, catch his breath, or swing his sword, Gollum was cursing and running on, oblivious to his presence. This is how the same thing?Gollum could see in the dark, and Bilbo could see the light in his eyes from behind.He got up in agony, sheathed the sword that was glimmering again, and followed cautiously, for he had no choice but to turn and hide by Gollum's lake.If he followed Gollum, he might inadvertently lead Bilbo to the exit. "Curse it! Curse it! Curse it!" Gollum hissed, "Curse Baggins! It's gone! What's in its pocket? Oh, we guess, we guess, my darling— He found it, yes, he must have found it, my birthday present!" Bilbo listened, and at last, beginning to suspect all this too, he took a few steps cautiously forward, and approached Gollum boldly; fortunately he was still on his way in such a hurry that he had no time to look back.From the glimmer of light on the wall, Bilbo judged that the fellow was constantly looking at his surroundings. "My birthday present! Curse it! How did we lose it, baby? Yes, that's it. Last time we were here, when we broke that little guy's neck. That's it! Curse it! In It slipped from our hands after so long! It's gone, Gollum." Suddenly Gollum sat down on the ground and began to weep in an unearthly symphony of whistling and gulping sounds that made it uncomfortable to hear.Bilbo stopped, leaning his back against the cave wall to hide his figure.After a while, Gollum ceased to sob, and began to talk to himself, as if he had quarreled with himself. "It's useless to go back, it's useless, we don't remember where we've been, it won't work. Baggins puts it in his pocket and we think the stinker found it." "We're guessing, baby, just guessing. We can't be sure until we catch the stinker and ask him hard. He doesn't know the way, and he can't go far. The stinker is lost, and he says he doesn't know the way out." .” "He said so, but the fellow was cunning, and he didn't say what it meant, and he wouldn't say what was in his pocket. He knew. He knew the way in, and he must know the way out. Yes, It's going to the back door, yes, to the back door! Goblins will catch him. He can't get out that way, baby." "Hiss, hiss, Gollum! Gollum! Yes, but if he gets our present, our precious gift, then the Gollum will get it too, Gollum! They'll find him and know It's strong, and we'll never be safe again, Gollum! There'll be goblins wearing it, and no one else will see him, and he'll be invisible, even to our wise eyes, He will come quietly for us, Gollum, Gollum!" "Then let's not chat, baby, move faster. If Baggins is going in this direction, we must hurry over to see. Go! It's not far, hurry up!" Gollum sprang to his feet, and immediately began to gallop away.Bilbo followed cautiously as before, but this time he was more worried about kicking something again and making an unnecessary noise.New hopes and wonders filled his little head, and it seemed that the ring he had picked up was a magic ring: it made people invisible!Of course, he had heard of this kind of thing in legends and fairy tales, but it was really hard to believe that he actually found this kind of treasure by accident.He couldn't help but not believe the evidence before him. Gollum, who had sharp eyes, turned a blind eye to him and just walked past him defenselessly. And so they went on, Gollum slapping his feet, cursing and hissing, and Bilbo, with his hobbit genius, following silently behind.Soon Bilbo came to the many branching roads he had noticed before, and Gollum immediately began to count them. "One on the left, yes; one on the right, yes. Two on the right, yes yes, two on the left, yes yes..." he kept muttering to himself. As he counted more and more, he began to tremble and sob; because he was far away from the underground lake, he began to feel a little scared.There might be orcs around, and he'd lost his ring.最后，他在左方一个低矮的隧道口停了下来。 “右边第七个，是的，左边第六个，是的。”他低语道：“就是这个了，这就是去后门的路，就是这条路！” 他往内窥探着，又缩了回来。“可是宝贝，我们不想要进去，我们不想，里面有半兽人，很多半兽人，我们可以闻到他们。嘶嘶！我们该怎么办？诅咒这些该死的家伙！我们得在这边等，宝贝，要等等看才行。” 因此，他们就这么停了下来。咕鲁毕竟还是把比尔博带到了出口，但比尔博却无法进去！因为咕鲁就这么坐在那里，双眼发出冷冽的光芒，头放在双膝之间左右扫视着。 比尔博又用比老鼠更小的声音离开洞壁，但咕鲁立刻浑身一紧，开始嗅着四周的气味，眼中再度发出绿光。他发出带着怒气的嘶嘶声，他看不见哈比人，但却已经提高了警觉；而且，他还有其他在黑暗中变得更敏锐的知觉：听觉和嗅觉。他就这么趴在地板上，头伸了出来，鼻子几乎贴在地板上。虽然对方在比尔博的眼角余光只是一团模糊的黑影，但他却可以明显地感觉到：对方已经像弓弦一样的紧绷，毫不松懈地四面八方监视任何蛛丝马迹。 比尔博害怕得几乎停止了呼吸，身体也立刻变得非常僵硬。他十分紧张，只要他还有力气，就一定得脱离这片恐怖的黑暗，逃离这个地方。他必须要奋力一搏，他必须要刺死这个恐怖的家伙，让他眼睛的光芒熄灭。他想要杀死比尔博。不，这样不公平，比尔博已经隐形了，咕鲁手无寸铁，咕鲁并没有威胁要杀他，至少还没有付诸行动；他孤身一人，十分的可怜、不知如何是好。比尔博的心中突然对这可怜的生物产生了一种混杂着恐惧和谅解的同情心：他在这没有希望、没有光芒的地底度过无数的岁月，和坚硬的岩石、冰冷的盲鱼为伴，偷偷摸摸地四处行动，鬼鬼祟祟地自言自语。这些念头都在一瞬间掠过他的脑海，比尔博打了个寒颤，接着，藉由身体内突如其来产生的一股怪力和决心，他纵身一跃。 对人类来说不算是多么厉害的一跳，但别忘了，这可是在全然黑暗中的一跃。他飞过咕鲁头上，往前飞过了七尺，跃起了至少三尺。事实上，他差点就在洞口撞烂自己的脑袋。 咕鲁立刻转身奔去，试图抓住越过头顶的哈比人，但已经太迟了：他的手划过空气，比尔博则是稳稳地落在地上，开始往新的出口方向飞奔。他不敢转头打量咕鲁在干些什么。一开始，他可以听见背后传来清楚的嘶嘶声和咒骂声，然后那声音就停了下来；几乎在同一瞬间，后方传来了让人血液为之冻结的尖叫声，充满了恨意和绝望。咕鲁被打败了，他不敢再往前走，他已经输了：他不只追丢了猎物，更弄丢了他这辈子唯一在乎的宝贝。这尖叫声让比尔博的心脏差点跳出嘴边，但他坚毅地继续往前跑。虽然那声音现在微弱得如同回音一般，但其中的恨意依然让它持续不断地往前飘送： “小偷，小偷，小偷！巴金斯！我们恨它，我们恨它，我们永远恨它！” 然后就变得一片死寂。但，对于比尔博来说，这依旧让人提心吊胆。“如果咕噜近到可以闻到半兽人的气息，那么他们也可以听见他的尖叫和咒骂声。我得小心点，这条路可能会让我走向更可怕的事情。” 这条隧道不只低矮，看来也十分粗制滥造。对于哈比人来说，还不算太难走，只是他在这段路程中又好几次踢到了地上的碎石。“对比较高大的半兽人来说似乎太矮了些，”比尔博想，但他不知道，即使是最高大的半兽人，也可以弯着身子，在双手几乎垂到地面的状况下飞快赶路。 很快的，一直蜿蜒向下的隧道开始往上延伸，过了一阵子之后，它变得十分陡峭，这让比尔博的速度慢了下来。到了最后，斜坡终于平缓下来，隧道转过一个弯，又开始继续往下走。在那边，底下一个弯道的尽头，他看见了一丝光芒。那不是油灯所吐出的红光，而是白色的天光，比尔博立刻拔足狂奔。 他用尽全身力气迈步飞奔，绕过最后的转弯，终于来到了一个开阔的空间。在他于黑暗中待了那么久之后，这里的光线相形之下变得十分刺眼。事实上，这只是从门缝中透过的一丝光线，来源则是不远之前的一扇巨大石门。 比尔博眨眨眼，这才看见了半兽人：全副武装，手拿刀剑的半兽人坐在门内，用警醒的目光打量着外面，监视通往大门的小径。他们丝毫不敢松懈，准备面对任何的危险。 他们发现陌生人的速度快多了。是的，他们发现了他，不知道这是意外，还是戒指换到新主人手上的另一个恶作剧；当主人最需要它的时候，它又不在主人的手指上。半兽人欢呼一声，朝他冲了过来。 比尔博感到一阵恐惧和失落感，几乎与咕鲁的痛苦毫无二致。他甚至忘记拔出武器，只记得将手伸到口袋中。戒指还在他左边的口袋中，他立刻戴上戒指，半兽人震惊地停下脚步──他就这么凭空消失了。他们发出比之前更大声的吼叫声，但这次可不是欢呼了。 “他到哪里去了？”他们喊着。 “快回门口！”有人大喊着。 “这个方向！”有些人喊着，“是那个方向！”其他的人则是喊着。 “注意大门，”队长下令道。 哨声响起，盔甲撞击，刀剑挥舞，半兽人咒骂着四处奔跑，彼此互相妨碍，怒气也越来越高涨。一瞬间，原先秩序井然的守备队就陷入彻底的混乱中。 比尔博感到无比的害怕，但他还是勉强保持了一丝冷静，及时在半兽人守卫喝水用的大桶后面躲了起来，因此闪开了半兽人盲目的摸索和被践踏而死的命运。 “我一定得快到门口，我一定得快到门口！”他不停地对自己说，但过了很长的时间他才敢真的这么做。那就像是一场恐怖的瞎子摸象游戏一样，到处都是漫无目的四处奔跑的半兽人，可怜的小哈比人左闪右躲，最后还是被一名搞不清楚状况的士兵撞倒在地上。他把握机会，四肢着地爬过队长的胯下，冲向门口。 大门依旧没有完全关上，但已经有名半兽人将它推得只剩一条缝隙。比尔博使尽全身的力气，发现自己还是推不动，最后只能想办法挤过去。他挤了又挤，最后竟然卡住了。他的钮扣被卡在门上；他可以看见外面蓝天白云的景象，再跑几步就能进入高耸山脉间的一座狭窄山谷。太阳从云后探出头来，照耀在门外，但他就是挤不过去。 突然间，门内的一名半兽人扯开喉咙大喊：“门口有个影子，外面有人！” 比尔博的心脏又再度跳到喉头。他奋力一挣，钮扣往四面八方爆开。他终于挤了出去，但外套和衬衫全都破了。他像是只兴奋的山羊一般冲下阶梯，吃惊的半兽人则是在门口捡着他漂亮的铜钮扣。 当然，他们很快就狂喊着追了出来，在树林间努力地搜索；但他们不喜欢阳光，它会让他们两腿发软，头晖脑胀。他们找不到戴着戒指的比尔博，因为他正在树木的阴影中无声无息地穿梭，在阳光照不到的地方飞奔着。因此，很快的，他们就咒骂着、嘟哝着走回门口继续张望。比尔博终于逃了出来。