On the day the story begins, he is enjoying a pipe outside his front door when an old man with a long cloak and a staff drops by. Bilbo recognizes the old man as the wizard Gandalf, who has created spectacular fireworks displays on holidays in Hobbiton, but Bilbo still looks on Gandalf with a suspicious eye. When Gandalf asks if Bilbo would be interested in going on an adventure, the hobbit declines and excuses himself quickly, asking the wizard to come by for tea sometime (but only so as not to seem rude). Naturally, then, when the doorbell rings the nex

Leaving Bilbo and the dwarves at the mountain, the story now describes Smaug as he flies toward Lake Town to wreak vengeance. The people of Lake Town see the dragon coming from a long way off--some think, at first, that his fire is the river running with gold--and prepare archers and many buckets of water to douse the coming flames. Their readiness is of little avail, for Smaug flies over the town and lights every roof on fire. The men's arrows bounce harmlessly off his diamond-like hide. When most of the men have abandoned the city, one man, Bard, the captain of the archers, readies his last arrow. Suddenly, a thrush lands on his shoulder and speaks in a language he can understand. The bird tells Bard to watch for the dragon's weak spot in the hollow of his left breast. Bard looks, sees the open patch, and lets fly his arrow. It plunges into Smaug's heart and the beast comes crashing down, destroying the rest of Lake Town as he dies. Bard manages to dive safely into the water!

One night, they suddenly see the flicker of lights in the trees. Ignoring the warnings of Beorn and Gandalf, they leave the path and move toward the lights. In a clearing, they see elves sitting around a fire, feasting and singing. However, the moment they burst into the clearing, the lights are snuffed out and they can hardly find each other. This happens twice more, and on the last occasion, everyone becomes separated; they cannot find each other in the darkness. Soon, Bilbo stops hearing voices and, exhausted, leans against a tree to sleep.

When Bilbo comes to, he can see nothing in the darkness. Feeling around on the floor, he happens to come across a ring, which he puts in his pocket. However, he can find nothing to indicate to him where the rest of the company is, or in which direction the exit lies. Picking one path, he soon comes across an underground lake. There, he discovers a strange creature named Gollum. When Gollum sees Bilbo prowling around, obviously lost, he is interested and a bit hungry. He approaches the hobbit, who brandishes his sword upon hearing Gollum's hissing voice.

Luckily for the company, the Lord of the eagles, has seen the commotion from his roost high in the mountains. With a number of other eagles, he swoops down, picks up the marooned travelers, and flies them to safety. The eagles are friends of Gandalf's and enemies of the goblins. They are happy to provide food and rest for the weary travelers, who then continue on their journey.

Smaug guesses from Bilbo's riddles that the company is somehow involved with the men of Lake Town, so he flies there to wreak vengeance. Meanwhile, the hobbit and dwarves cower in the dark passage until they can bear it no longer. They slowly creep down toward Smaug's chamber. When Bilbo determines that the beast is gone, the dwarves run out to the treasure in glee, remembering the rich times of old. Bilbo only takes a few things; one of them is the Arkenstone, an incomparable gem that Thorin seeks but which the hobbit decides to keep for himself. He also finds a marvelous coat of mithril-mail.

The goblins carry the dwarves and the hobbit down into the mountain until they reach the huge chamber where the Great Goblin sits. He demands to know what the travelers are doing in his mountain. Thorin tries to explain about the storm, but one of the goblins brings forth the sword that Thorin had taken from the trolls and was carrying when captured. This sword, Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver, is well-known to the goblins. They go into a rage and the Great Goblin lunges at Thorin to eat him. Suddenly, however, the torches lighting the cavern go out and the great fire in the middle throws its sparks onto each of the goblins. In the darkness and confusion, a great sword flashes and strikes down the Great Goblin. Then, a voice leads the captives out of the cavern. It is Gandalf who leads the dwarves through the passages and deeper into the mountain. The goblins follow quickly after them; one

Some topics in this essay:
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