Meanwhile some of them explored the shelf beyond the opening and found a path that led higher and higher on to the mountain; but they were afraid to go very far that way.

The others who were busy with the secret of the door had no more success.

They had brought tools of many sorts from Lake-town, and at first they tried to use these. But when they struck the stone their tools broke.

Bilbo sat and thought looking at a large grey stone which lay in the centre of the grass.

“Tomorrow begins the last week of autumn,” said Thorin one day.

“And winter comes after autumn,” said Bifur.

“And next year after that,” said Dwalin. “What is our burglar doing for us?”

Bilbo heard this – the dwarves were on the rocks just above the place where he was sitting. “Good Gracious!” [76] he thought, “What can I do?!”

That night he was very miserable and hardly slept. The next day Bilbo sat gloomily in the grassy bay looking at the stone. He had a feeling that he was waiting for something. “Perhaps the wizard will suddenly come back today,” he thought. Soon he saw the orange ball of the sun sinking towards the level of his eyes. He went to the opening and there was a thin new moon above the rim of Earth. [77] At that very moment he heard a sharp crack behind him. There on the grey stone in the grass was a huge thrush, [78] nearly coal black, with pale yellow breast. Crack! It had caught a snail and was knocking it on the stone. Crack! Crack!

Suddenly Bilbo understood. He stood on the shelf and called the dwarves. When they came, Bilbo quickly explained everything. The sun sank lower and lower, it sank into a cloud and disappeared. The dwarves groaned, but still Bilbo stood almost without moving. The little moon was dipping to the horizon. Evening was coming on. Then suddenly a red ray of the sun escaped through the cloud. A gleam of light came straight through the opening into the bay and fell on the smooth rock-face. The old bird, who had been watching from a high perch, gave a sudden trill. A piece of rock split from the wall and fell. A hole appeared suddenly about three feet from the ground. Quickly, the dwarves rushed to the rock and pushed – in vain. [79]

“The key! The key!” cried Bilbo. “Where is Thorin?”

Thorin ran up.

“The key!” shouted Bilbo. “The key that went with the map! Try it now while there is still time!”

Then Thorin stepped up and drew the key on its chain from round his neck. He put it to the hole. It fitted and it turned! Snap! The gleam went out, the sun sank, the moon was gone. Now they all pushed together, and slowly a part of the rock-wall moved. Long straight cracks appeared and widened. The door slowly, without a sound, swung inwards. Deep darkness lay before their eyes.

For a long time the dwarves stood in the dark before the door and debated, until at last Thorin spoke:

“Now is the time for our Mr Baggins to earn his Reward.”

“If you mean it is my job to go into the secret passage first, say so! I will go. Now who is coming with me?”

Nobody wanted to go with the hobbit. They were scared. Dwarves are not heroes, but calculating folk [81] who really like money.

So Bilbo went alone. It was a passage with smooth floors and smooth sides, going down to some distant end in the blackness below.

The hobbit slipped on his ring and crept quietly down, down, down into the dark. He was trembling with fear. But he was already a very different hobbit from the one that had started the journey long ago. [82]

He went on and on, till the door behind had faded away. He was all alone. Soon he felt hot. As he went forward he saw a red light. He began to sweat. He heard gurgling noise of some huge animal snoring in its sleep down there in the red glow in front of him.

At this point Bilbo stopped. He was really frightened. But after a short halt he went on and saw the great hall of the ancient dwarves right at the Mountain’s root. There lay Smaug, a huge red-golden dragon. He was fast asleep.

Under the dragon and about him, lay piles of precious things, gold, gems and jewels.

Smaug lay, with wings folded, turned partly on one side, so that the hobbit could see his long pale belly covered with gems and gold. Behind him there were axes, swords and spears hanging. Bilbo’s heart was filled with the desire of dwarves; and he gazed at the gold beyond price and count.

Suddenly, almost against his will, he grasped a great two-handled cup, as heavy as he could carry, and looked up at the dragon. Smaug moved a wing, the rumble of his snoring changed.

Then Bilbo ran. But the dragon did not wake. The little hobbit rushed back up the long tunnel and soon he safely came out.

The dwarves were really excited. They were passing the cup from hand to hand and talking of their treasure. Suddenly they heard a tremendous noise in the mountain. The ground beneath them trembled.