Chapter 12 Section 12 Insider News

The dwarves stood in the dark cave for a long time, and at last Thorin spoke: "We must now admit that Mr. Baggins, in his meritorious service, was our most trusted companion on this long journey; As a hobbit, he has courage and wisdom that outsiders can't imagine.In addition, please allow me to talk, he also has more than ordinary people's good luck.At this moment, it's time for him to fulfill his only goal of joining our team, and it's time for him to earn his share of the reward! " You all know Thorin's blunt attitude in the face of important moments, so although he has said a lot, I will stop here.This was indeed an important moment, and Bilbo felt very impatient. After so long together, he knew Thorin's character very well, and he knew what the fellow would say in the end.

"Oh, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thorne, if you mean that you think I should enter this secret passage," he interjected, "please make it clear! I may refuse. You have been I saved it twice, which was not included in the original contract. Therefore, I think I have earned part of the reward; however, my dad often said, "It's only three things", and I don't think I should refuse. Maybe, I have more confidence in my good fortune than ever!" he meant, before leaving his abode; but it seemed centuries ago, "but I think I should hurry to see Look, wrap things up. Who's going with me?"

He didn't expect many people to volunteer, so he wasn't too disappointed.Fili and Kili looked very disturbed, and the others were unwilling to even feint.The only exception was Balin, who was on guard, and he liked Bilbo so much that he was willing to go some distance first, and would call for help if necessary. The situation of the dwarves was like this: they were going to pay Bilbo a lot of money for his services, because he was here to perform a particularly dangerous task for them, so it was of course that the little fellow would volunteer himself. the best.Still, if he got into trouble, they'd do what they could to get him out of it; just as they'd still go to the troll to save him when they didn't have a good impression of him in the first place.Dwarves are not some kind of aggressive hero, but a race that is calculating and cares about money very much.Some of them are really cunning, very bad guys, and some of them are ordinary people who are honest and earn a living like Thorin, but you can't expect too much from them.

When the hobbit began to crawl into the cave, the stars began to appear in the sky.Getting in was easier than he thought.This is not a half-orc's cave, nor is it a simple tunnel of a wood elf. This is a passage built in the heyday of the dwarves. It is as straight as measured with a ruler, with a flat floor and smooth walls. Even the slope was calculated from the beginning. , without any change.However, no one knows what kind of dark place it leads to. After a while, Barrin said "Good luck!" to Bilbo, and stopped just where the entrance could be seen.Here, relying on the echo of the cave, he can still hear the conversations of people outside.Then, the hobbit put on the ring, and after knowing that the cave would have an echo effect, he proceeded more carefully and silently inside.He was trembling with fear, but his small face showed a resolute expression. He was no different from the hobbit who forgot to bring his handkerchief at the beginning. He hadn't used his handkerchief for a long time.He loosened the dagger at his waist, tightened his belt, and continued to move forward.

"Bilbo Baggins, you've arrived at your destination at last!" he said to himself. "You stepped into this adventure yourself that night, and now you're going to have to figure out how to get your foot out! God! What a fool I am!" said the thinnest part of Took's blood in his body: "The treasure guarded by the dragon is of no use to me. I wish I could wake up and find that this tunnel is How nice it would be to have my own home!" Of course, he didn't wake up, and continued to walk until he couldn't even see the shadow of the door.He fell into a situation where he was completely alone.Soon, he began to feel that the place was getting warmer and warmer. "Is there some light in front of me?" he thought.

Indeed there are.As he got closer and closer, the light became stronger and stronger, which made him more certain.It was a glow that was getting redder and warmer inside the tunnel.Wisps of steam drifted past him, making him sweat all over his body, and a sound began to dance in his ears, it sounded like something was boiling and bubbling in a pot, and at the same time there was a sound of It sounds like a big cat growling.Then the sound slowly changed to the snoring of some gigantic monster sleeping in the red light. Bilbo stopped at this moment, and went on down, which was the bravest thing he ever did in his life.Nothing that has happened since then can compare to it.The real hardest battles took place when he was alone in the tunnels and didn't even see the monsters.After a period of war between heaven and man, he was determined to continue on.You can imagine that a little hobbit walked to the end of the tunnel, came to an opening about the size of the entrance, and stuck his little head out. Before his eyes was the last part of the cave dug by the ancient dwarves in the mountains. bottom.It was pitch black, and Bilbo could only guess how wide it was; but, in the very center of the floor, there was a blinding red light—the light of Smaug the dragon!

The huge red dragon just lay there, sleeping undisturbed.Wisps of black smoke rose from its sharp teeth and nostrils, and the fire in its belly was not so strong when it slept.Under its limbs and tail, and throughout the cave, were filled with jewels of every kind, unminted gold and precious stones, and finely carved works of art, all stained with a layer of A strange light of bright red. Smaug's wings were folded, and he lay on the ground like a gigantic bat.It was asleep on its side, so that Bilbo could see its pale belly pressed against the priceless bed.As it had pressed its belly against these treasures for a long time, many precious stones and gold were stuck in its belly.On the wall behind Smaug, the hobbits could vaguely see chain mail, helmets, axes, swords, swords and halberds hanging on the wall; at the same place, there were also many large urns containing countless treasures.

It would not be too much to say that Bilbo had forgotten to breathe, for there was no language in the language that men had learned from the elves to describe his excitement.Bilbo had heard all the songs about the dragon's riches, but the splendor, the allure, the wealth of gold and jewels was beyond his imagination!His heart was filled with the same hunger as the dwarves, and he looked at these treasures of inestimable value without moving, completely forgetting about the terrifying guards. He stayed there for nearly a century, and at last, involuntarily, he ran out of the shadows, across the ground, and came to the nearest treasure mountain.The dragon was still asleep, but in his sleep he looked fiercer than ever.He picked up a heavy golden goblet, nearly as much as he could bear, while glancing up in fear.Smaug fluttered his wings, raised a paw, and the rhythm of his snoring changed.

Bilbo ran away, but the dragon did not wake up, and the time had not yet come.It's just another dream of greed and violence.The hobbit ran back to the long and narrow tunnel nervously, his heart was pounding and his legs were trembling, but he still held on to the golden cup tightly, and the only thought in his mind was: "I did it! They'll find out later. 'Not like a snitch, but more like a grocer' Huh! Let's see if they dare say it later." Indeed, he never heard it again.Barrin was delighted to see the hobbit come back alive and safe, but was also very surprised, and he took Bilbo in his arms and ran outside quickly.It was still midnight, and clouds and mist covered the stars, and Bilbo lay on the ground with his eyes closed, sucking in the fresh air.He hardly noticed the excited reaction of the dwarves, or how they praised him, patted him on the shoulder, and promised to have the whole dwarf family and generations of the dwarves at his service.

The dwarves were passing the golden goblet in turn, discussing the situation with one another; suddenly there was a low rumbling sound from the mountain, as if some ancient volcano had awakened.The secret door behind them was closed until there was only a small gap left, and it was blocked with stones.But, through the echo of the tunnel, they could still hear the startling sound of footsteps inside that shook the earth. At this time, the dwarves completely forgot the bragging and self-confidence not long ago, and they all fell to the ground in fear.Smaug is still a formidable opponent, and if you live near a dragon, forgetting to factor it into your plans can be fatal.The evil dragons may not need treasures very much, but they count every penny clearly.All the more so if the treasures had been under his rule for many years, and Smaug was no exception.It had just had a bad dream (the dream of a small warrior, though insignificant, with a sword and a lot of courage, which displeased him very much), which had put him in a half-dream, and then awoke again come over.There is a strange smell in the air, could it be coming from that small hole?Although the hole is small, it has never liked that hole before. Why did it always forget to block the hole?Recently, it has often felt that it heard some knocking sound from that small hole.It stretched its neck, ready to move its stiff body.Then, he found that the gold cup was missing!

Thief!Misfire!kill it!This kind of thing has never happened since it came to this mountain range.Its anger is beyond imagination, like a rich man who has incomparable wealth and suddenly finds that a treasure is missing, even if that thing is useless to him.It began to spit out high-temperature flames, thick smoke rose from the entire hall, and the mountains were shaken by it.It tried in vain to squeeze its head into the hole, and then it curled up and let out a thunderous roar from the ground.It drilled out from the deep hole along the huge tunnel, left the palace in the mountain, and headed for the gate. At this time, the only thought in the evil dragon's mind was to search the entire mountain and find this damned little thief!It rushed out from the gate, and the flowing water instantly turned into steam. It fluttered its wings and jumped into the air, hovering among the clouds, engulfing half of the hillside with bright red and emerald green deadly flames.The dwarves heard the sound of its wings, and immediately hid under the rocks in the valley, hoping to escape the dragon's angry eyes. They might all have been burned there if Bilbo hadn't come out again. "Quick! Quick!" he yelled. "Enter the door! Go to the tunnel! It's useless here." Hearing Bilbo's cry, they went into the tunnel as if they had just woken up from a dream.At this time, Bifur exclaimed again: "My cousins! Bomber and Bofur, we have forgotten them, they are still in the valley!" "They and our ponies and supplies will all be burned," wailed the others. "There's nothing we can do!" "Nonsense!" Thorin finally regained his dignity: "We can't abandon them, Mr. Baggins and Balin go in first, and Kili and Fili - can't let the dragon kill us all at once. The others, the rope Where did you go? Move fast!" These few minutes may be the worst situation they have ever encountered. Smaug's angry roar echoed in the valley. on the ridge.Bofur climbed up, and no one was in any danger; Bombur climbed up panting, and the rope creaked strangely, but the dragon still didn't see them.Then they loaded up some tools and luggage, and the danger was coming straight for them. They heard the rushing wind, and a red light shone on the rock—the dragon was coming. They had only a few seconds to rush into the cave with all their luggage when Smaug came flying in from the north, scorching the mountain wall with flames all the way.The hot wind scorched the grass in front of the door, penetrated the gap left by the secret door, and made everyone inside feel extremely hot.Darkness fell over them all as it flew through the sky, and the ponies neighed in terror and broke free from their ropes and ran about; "Our poor ponies are doomed!" said Thorin. "Once Smaug finds out, nothing escapes. Unless anyone wants to risk walking back under Smaug's watch, we must stay hidden here!" " It's scary just thinking about it!They hid further into the tunnel, and although it was quite warm inside, many people still shivered involuntarily; at last, the pale dawn shone through the cracks.Every moment they could hear the dragon's roar approaching and receding, and it was evident that Smaug was hunting the thief round the Lonely Mountain. He deduced from the ponies and the marks of the camp that the men had climbed up the river to where the ponies rested, but his eyes could not find the secret door, and the col remained untouched by his fire.It searched in vain for a long time, and when its anger died down, it returned to the cave to sleep and regain its strength.It will never forgive the act of stealing, even if it turns into a stone after thousands of years, it will not forgive the other party lightly; however, it can wait.Slowly and quietly it crept back into the hole, eyes half closed. The fear of the dwarves faded away after dawn, and they now understood that similar dangers were inevitable against such guards, and that it would be of little use to give up now.Thorin pointed out that they could not escape now, and their pony either escaped or was killed.They would have to wait a long time before walking cautiously back before Smaug let his guard down; luckily they had salvaged some rations to last a while. They argued for a long time about what to do next, but could not think of any way to get rid of Smaug.Bilbo couldn't help pointing out that this had been a big blind spot in their plan all along.It was in their nature to complain to Bilbo, now that they were in utter despair, that the stealing of the Cup, which they had applauded, was now a heinous crime. "Otherwise, what do you think the snitch can do?" Bilbo asked angrily. "It's a warrior's job to kill dragons. My responsibility is to steal treasures. This is a good start. Don't you think I can carry Thor behind my back?" all the treasures of my father's treasure just walked back like this? If anyone is going to complain, it's not as good as me. You should bring five hundred snitches, not just me! I know you are proud of your grandfather's treasures, but you never Try explaining to me how much that is, and even if I was fifty times bigger and Smaug was as nice as a bunny, it would take me a hundred years to move." After that, the dwarves looked down and begged his forgiveness. "Mr. Baggins, what do you suggest we do?" Thorin asked politely and thoughtfully. "If you mean taking away the treasure, I'm not sure yet, it's obviously going to have to depend on our luck, and Smaug has to be got rid of. I've never got rid of a dragon in my life, but I can Find a way. Personally, I don't think there's any hope of that, and I'd rather we be at home." "Never mind so much! Today, what shall we do now?" "Well, if you really want my advice, I think we should do nothing but stay here. During the day, we should be able to sneak out safely and get some fresh air, maybe not too long before we You can send one or two people to venture to the river to replenish food. However, during this time, I suggest that everyone stay in the cave obediently at night. I might as well give you another suggestion: I will wear the ring at noon today , go down and see, if Smaug is still dozing, then I'll try to see what he's going to do, maybe we can learn something. My old man used to say, 'Every worm has a weakness,', but I'm very Make sure this is not his personal experience." Naturally, the dwarves accepted Bilbo's proposal happily. They had begun to respect the little Bilbo. Now he was really the leader of this adventure, and he began to have his own ideas and plans.By noon, he was ready to go into the mountains again. Of course, he didn't like this kind of adventure, but after he was sure of what was in front of him, he would no longer have to face the fear of the unknown as before.If he had known enough about the wisdom and cunning of dragons, he might not have been so relieved that Smaug would sleep undefended. When he set off, the sun outside was still bright, but the tunnel was as dark as the night.He couldn't go far, and the ray of sunlight from the outside world disappeared completely.His actions were noiseless, almost incomparable to the smoke blowing in the wind, and he couldn't help but feel proud of himself as he got closer and closer to another exit, with only a very faint light below. "Old Smaug must be tired and asleep," he thought, "he can't see me, and he can't hear me. Bilbo, cheer up!" He had forgotten that the dragon in the story had a very keen sense of smell, In fact, they can even sleep with their eyes half closed when they get suspicious. When Bilbo looked in through the entrance, Smaug did look as if he had fallen asleep, hardly snoring at all, and there was only a very thin puff of smoke from his nostrils.Just as he was about to step out, he suddenly noticed a red glow under the lid of Smaug's left eye—it was pretending to sleep!It is watching the entrance of the cave!Bilbo drew back hastily, thanking the ring for his good luck.Then Smaug spoke. "Listen, thief! I smell you, I can feel you. I hear your breath. Come on! Take as many as you want!" Bilbo didn't know so little about dragons, and if Smaug hoped to trick him in this way, he would be disappointed. "No, thank you, Mr. Smaug of the Big Tail!" he replied, "I'm not here to take a gift, I just want to see you and prove that you are as great as the legends say, and I really don't believe the legends description inside." "What about now?" the dragon said flattered, but it would not be so stupid as to believe anything the other party said. "Oh, Lord Smaug, greatest and noblest of beasts, those songs and legends are not a ten thousandth part true!" answered Bilbo. "For a thief and a liar, you are quite polite!" said the dragon. "You seem to know me very well, but I have never smelled you before. Please allow me to inquire about your origin and name. is it okay?" "Of course you can! I came down from the mountains, and my road passed through the mountains and over the hills. I can also fly in the air, and I am the mysterious man who comes and goes without a trace." "I believe," said Smaug, "but I'm afraid it's not your usual name!" "I'm the investigator, the web cutter, the fly with the spikes, I was chosen to make a lucky number." "What a cute name!" said the dragon scornfully, "but lucky numbers don't always work." "I'm the one who buries friends alive, throws them in the water, and takes them out of the water; I've come from the bottom of the bag, but I've never been sacked." "That doesn't sound like much!" Smaug sneered. "I'm the Bear's friend, the Eagle's guest, I'm the one who wins the Ring and the Luck, and I'm the one who rides the Barrel." Bilbo thought his charades amused, so he went on. "That's much better!" said Smaug. "But don't let your imagination run wild!" This is how dragons talk, and in general, if you don't want to say your real name (which is smart) and don't want to be rude and say no to them directly (which is also very smart), you usually have to Talking like this, no dragon can resist the temptation to play charades and waste time figuring out the content.Smaug didn't understand much of what Bilbo said (though, since you know Bilbo's adventures so well, I suppose you should know what adventures he was referring to), and this time he thought he knew enough , so began to snicker inwardly. "I figured it out last night!" he thought with a snicker. "It must have been a ruse by the people on the lake, those poor fellows selling buckets, or I'd be a lizard! I haven't been in for hundreds of years That place is gone, and that should change soon!" "Great, Barrel Rider!" it said loudly. "Maybe Bucket is your mount's name, maybe it's not, and maybe you'll come and go without a trace, but you can't come here on foot. Let me tell you You, I ate six ponies last night, and it won't be long before I eat them all. In return for the good meal you provided me, I would like to give you a word of advice: never deal!" "Dwarves!" said Bilbo, with feigned astonishment. "Don't pretend!" said Smaug. "I know the smell of a dwarf, and no one knows better than I. If I eat a pony that a dwarf rides, I will know it! If you are always with these fellows It's going to be a miserable deal at the end. Barrel thief, I don't mind if you go back and tell 'em, I said so." He didn't tell Bilbo, however, that there was a smell in it that he had never tasted— —the smell of the hobbit; it worried him a great deal, and made him feel rather terrified. "I think that gold cup last night made you a lot of money?" He continued, "Well, didn't you? Ha, there was nothing! Huh, that's their style. I think they must be Stay safe out there and you do the dangerous job of stealing stuff when I'm not looking. It's all for them, right? You're going to get a big ticket? Are you serious? Believe it! If you can save the dog's life, you will be laughing!" Bilbo was beginning to feel very uneasy now, and whenever Smaug's eyes searched for shadows, or swept over him, he could not help trembling, and some unimaginable impulse would overwhelm his reason and make him Wanted to rush out and tell Smaug the truth.In fact, he was on the verge of being seized by the dragon's magic, but he mustered up his courage and said aloud: "Oh, great Smaug, you don't know the truth, and gold alone is not enough to buy us." "Ha! Ha! You admit it's 'us,'" Smaug laughed. "Mr. Lucky Number, why don't you just say 'fourteen of us'? There are other tasks besides your idea, so maybe you won't waste all your time." "I don't know if you've ever thought that even if you could spend more than a hundred years stealing my gold little by little, you wouldn't be able to run far! It's useless to hide on the side of the mountain, it's useless to hide in the forest Is it okay inside? Hahaha! Haven't you ever thought about it? I think it's about fourteen people, and that's how the contract is written, right? What about the cost of delivery? What about the cost of the vehicle? Armed guards and fees ?” Smaug laughed.He is very scheming and good at manipulating people's hearts. He knows that his guess is inseparable.However, he suspects that it is the humans by the Long Lake who are manipulating everything behind the scenes. They are going to transport all the treasures to the settlement on the lake that was called Isgar when he was young. It may be hard for you to believe it, but poor Bilbo is really flustered by these questions.So far, all his energy has been concentrated on how to reach the lonely mountain and how to find the secret door; he has never spent any time thinking about how to transport the treasure away, let alone how to transport the things assigned to him back to the bag under the hill. Bottom hole. Suspicion began to arise in his heart: did these dwarves forget this most important point, or did they plan it from the beginning?Such is the effect the dragon's words have on the inexperienced.Bilbo should have been more careful, but Smaug's persuasion was too strong to resist. "I tell you," he said, trying not to let himself down, trying to continue to trust his friend, "the gold is just a bonus for us. We have come all the way, all the way, for vengeance. O Smaug of immense wealth, You must have realized that under such a great achievement of yours, you have made countless enemies?" Smaug let out a real laugh, so deafening that Bilbo fell to the ground, and the dwarves in the distance huddled together in terror and wondered if misfortune had happened to the hobbit. "Revenge!" He snorted, the red light in his eyes shrouded the entire hall in blood-red light. "Revenge! The king of the mountain has been dead for so long. Who of his descendants dares to take revenge? The Lord Girion of River Valley is dead. I feed his people as snacks. Which of his descendants dare Come close to me? I kill when I want to kill, and eat when I want to eat. No one dares to stop me. I killed the invincible warriors of ancient times. Compared with them, the current warriors are just weak mice. At that time, I still Young, yet soft-hearted; now, I have the wisdom of countless years, and immense strength. Thief in the shadows!" He boasted: "My scales are like ten overlapping steel shields, and my fangs are like The long sword, the sharp claws are like spears and halberds, with a light wave of my tail, mortals are struck by lightning, with a slight flap of my wings, sand and stones fly between the sky and the earth, and my breath is enough to bring death!" "I've known it before," said Bilbo, his voice trembling with fear, "that the flesh of a dragon is actually very soft, especially around the—er—chest, but a great, invulnerable creature like you must be Already thought of that." The dragon suddenly stopped his boastful clamor. "Your information is already out of date," he said angrily, "My whole body is covered with steel-like scales and gems, and no blade can hurt me." "I should have guessed it," said Bilbo. "There is no match in the world for King Smaug, the invincible King. That diamond tunic you are wearing is beautiful!" "Yes, this is indeed a rare treasure," Smaug felt quite complacent, he didn't know that the hobbit had seen his chest before, this time he wanted to confirm again for some reason.The dragon turned around. "Look!" he said, "What do you think?" "It's dazzling! It's perfect! It's flawless! It's jaw-dropping!" Bilbo said loudly, but what he was thinking was, "Old fool! There's a gap in the left breast like As fragile as a snail with a broken shell!" After confirming all this, Mr. Baggins just wanted to get away. "Well, I don't think I can disturb your lord's rest any longer," he said, "or waste your time. The pony must be hard to catch, and the snitch is the same!" Run back into the tunnel. This last word really offended Smaug, and he immediately spit out a hot flame and rushed to the entrance of the cave.Although Bilbo was running, he was not fast enough to get rid of Smaug completely.Smaug stuffed his big head into the hole, but fortunately his whole head and jaw couldn't get in, but he still shot out flames and hot steam from his nostrils to attack the enemy.Poor Bilbo ran so desperately through the darkness that he nearly died in the tunnel.He was quite satisfied with his response to advance and retreat before, but the last sentence almost killed him. "You fool, never make fun of a living dragon!" he said to himself, which later became his catchphrase and a proverb. "Your adventure is not over yet," he said, and it was true. When he staggered out of the cave and fell on the grass, it was already evening.The dwarves woke him at once, and healed his burns; the hair on the back of his head and on his feet was singed, and it took a long time to grow back.All this time his friends tried to cheer him up as best they could, and they were anxious to learn the story from him, especially about why the dragon made such loud noises, and how Bilbo had escaped. But the hobbit felt rather worried and uneasy, and it was difficult for them to get anything out of him.After thinking about it carefully, he began to regret why he revealed so many things to the evil dragon, so he was really reluctant to repeat the old story.The black bird was still perched on the nearby rock, tilting its head to listen to all their conversations.Bilbo was in such a bad mood that he even threw stones at the blackbird, but the blackbird dodged and flew back. "Damn bird!" said Bilbo angrily. "I think he's eavesdropping. I don't like the way he looks." "Leave it alone!" Thorin said. "This blackbird is quite a friendly and kind bird, and this is also a very old blackbird, probably the last offspring of the long-lived magic birds that live here. Those blackbirds were once taken by my grandfather and father This may be one of the animals that was domesticated, and it may have lived for hundreds of years. The humans in Hegu Town used to understand their language and used them to communicate with the humans by the long lake. " "Well, if that's his job, then he'll have news to bring back to Laketown," said Bilbo, "but there probably won't be any living souls to hear the Blackbird then! " "What's going on?" the dwarf asked anxiously, "Hurry up!" Bilbo told the dwarf all he could remember, and he admitted that he had a bad premonition that the dragon had deduced too many clues from his riddles and ponies and camp. "I think it must have guessed we were from Long Lake From the town, someone over there helped us.I'm worried that its next step will be to sweep over there.I wish there hadn't been any mention of barrel riders, even a rabbit in these parts would have guessed it was human. " "Okay, forget it! Forget about the past, it's hard to talk to the dragon without leaking," Balin was anxious to comfort him: "If you ask me, I think you've done a very good job. You at least found Not many who spoke to Smaug had the experience of coming back alive with a very important piece of information. At least we know that there is a gap in the old dragon's diamond vest." The topics of the crowd also changed, and they all began to study the legends and the methods of slaying dragons in historical records, as well as the effects of various thrusts, punctures, and slashes, as well as the techniques, devices, and strategies that had been developed.Generally speaking, everyone thinks that it is not that simple to attack the evil dragon while sleeping, and it may be more likely to be unexpected than launching an attack openly. At the same time, the black bird listened intently until the stars in the sky began to shine, then it fluttered away without a sound.They talked on and on, and Bilbo grew more and more worried, and more and more foreboding. Finally, he interrupted the conversation: "We are very unsafe here," he said, "It is best not to stay here. The dragon has scorched all the green areas, and the temperature is relatively low at night , should not be outside; I have a feeling that this place must be attacked again. Smaug knows where I entered his cave, and he can guess where the exit will be, and if necessary, he will take the area Blow it all up to stop us. It doesn't feel the slightest pity if we're buried in rubble." "Mr. Baggins, you are too pessimistic!" Thorin said: "If it wants to keep us out so much, why hasn't it closed the exit over there? If it did, we would have It's time to hear the sound." "I don't know, really don't know. Maybe it's just trying to trick us out first, or maybe it's going to wait until after the hunt tonight, or maybe it doesn't want to mess up the bedroom. I'm not sure, but I hope you guys不要再和我争辩了。史矛革随时都可能会来，我们唯一的希望就是躲进隧道里面，把门关起来！” 他非常地坚持，最后矮人还是照做了，只是，他们认为不该那么快把门关起来，因为，这风险太大了，没有人知道从里面到底还能不能够把门打开。况且，被困在一个只通往龙穴出口的隧道中，实在不是个让人很放心的状况，除此之外，外面的一切看来都非常平静。因此，他们就坐在离门不远的地方，看着半开的门，继续随口聊天。 他们聊到了恶龙所说的挑拨离间的话。比尔博真希望自己从来没听过这些话，或者可以相信矮人这回的说法。他们声称，真的也完全没有想到夺回宝藏之后要怎么办。“我们知道这是场非常大的赌注，”索林说：“我们现在还是这么想。我依旧认为，等我们拿到宝藏之后，就会有时间考虑该怎么运走的问题。至于你的部分，巴金斯先生，我对你保证，由于我们对你的感激实在难以用言语形容，因此我们会让你自己选择属于你的那一份。如果运送那部分让你感到困扰，我向你致歉。我知道到时一定会遇到很大的困难，我们走过的地方事实上只会变得更危险。不过，我答应你，一定会尽全力帮你解决这个问题，我们会替你分摊运送的费用的！相不相信随便你！” 接着，大伙又聊到了那堆积如山的金银财宝，以及索林和巴林对于它的记忆。替伟大的国王布拉多辛（早就过世许久了）的部队所打造的长枪，每柄长枪都拥有三次锻造的枪尖，柄上则是镶着精雕细琢的黄金，但这些武器来不及运出去，也没有收到对方的付费。还有替早已亡故的战士打造的盾牌、索尔双手持用的巨大金杯，上面经过巧匠雕琢，虫鱼鸟兽的眼睛都镶着宝石、工匠苦心锻造的锁子甲，镀上纯银，刀枪不入……河谷镇之王吉瑞安的项练，是用五百颗如同青草一般翠绿的翡翠所接合的； 他用这项练换取了替他的长子量身打造的锁子甲，那是由纯银打造，每一个环都是由手工接合，更经过矮人的特殊处理，让它拥有三层钢铁同样的硬度。不过，在这其中最美丽的，则是一枚巨大的白色宝石，这是矮人在山脉底下所挖掘到的，这是山之心，又被称作索恩的家传宝钻。 “家传宝钻！家传宝钻！”索林在黑暗中支着下巴，像梦呓般地呢喃道：“那像是一颗拥有千万个面相的圆球，在火光下发出银色的光芒，如同反射阳光的湖水一般，好似星辰底下的积雪或是月光下的雨滴！” 不过，比尔博已经对那堆积如山的宝物免疫了。在他们的交谈中，比尔博的心思已经飞到别的地方去，他的一半心思花在倾听门外的任何异响，另一半则是用来监听门内除了矮人话声之外的任何骚动。 黑暗变得越来越浓重，他越来越不安。“关上门！”他恳求着大家：“我已经怕死了恶龙，这种沉寂比昨天晚上的喧闹还要可怕。快关上门，不然一切都来不及了！” 他声音中的恐惧让矮人也有了同样不安的感觉，索林缓缓地摆脱对财宝的幻想，站起来踢开了挡住门的石头，然后他们用力一推，门就喀达一声关上了。门内没有任何钥匙孔的痕迹，他们被困在山里面了！ 他们的运气相当不错，他们没走多远，山脉的这一边，就彷佛被巨人的大锤用力击中一般；岩石不停地晃动，山壁龟裂，洞顶落下许多的碎石。如果门没有关起来会是什么样子，我可不敢想。他们庆幸自己逃过一劫，朝着隧道更里面奔跑，同时还可以听见门外传来史矛革愤怒的吼声。它将岩石击碎成为粉末，用巨大的龙尾扫荡这座山壁和整个悬崖。到了最后，那个山坳、狭窄的山脊、爬满了蜗牛的山壁，全都在恶龙的愤怒下化成碎屑，巨大的山崩也跟着掩埋了底下的山谷。 史矛革之前一声不响地离开了洞穴，悄悄飞上夜空，像是乌鸦一般盘旋在天上，乘着风滑翔向山脉的西边，希望能够藉着奇袭抓住这些家伙，同时也看看小偷们到底用的是什么路径。刚刚的天摇地动，就是因为它来到了可疑的出口，却失望地什么都没发现，一气之下发泄的怒气。 在那之后，它觉得既然已经宣泄胸中的怒气，就不要再浪费时间在这边，它还有别的复仇计划要进行。“骑桶勇者！”他轻蔑地说：“毫无疑问的，你的足迹是从河边一路过来的。我没闻过你的味道，但就算你不是湖边人类的一份子，他们也曾经帮助过你。现在，他们该看看我的真身，知道谁才是真正的山下之王！” 它从烈焰中飞起，往南朝向奔流河飞去。