Summary: Chapter 4
Bilbo and company advance upon the Misty Mountains. Thanks
to Elrond’s and Gandalf’s advice, they are able to find a good
pass over the mountain range among the many dead-end trails and
drop-offs. Still, the climb is long and treacherous. A violent thunderstorm breaks
suddenly, forcing them to find shelter. Luckily, two of the dwarves
(Fili and Kili) find a cave in a side of the mountain. They bring
in the ponies and make camp for the night.
In the middle of the night, Bilbo wakes with a start,
just in time to see the ponies get dragged into an enormous crack
that has opened in the cave wall. He yells, and out of the crack
jump dozens of goblins, who tie up and carry off each member of
the company except Gandalf, who was forewarned by Bilbo’s yell.
The goblins carry the dwarves and the hobbit down into
the mountain to a 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 took from the trolls, which he was carrying
when captured. This sword, Orcrist, the goblin-cleaver, is well-known
among the goblins.
The goblins go into a rage and the Great Goblin lunges
at Thorin to eat him. Suddenly, the torches lighting the cavern
go out and the great fire in the middle of the chamber throws its
sparks onto the goblins. In the darkness and confusion, a great
sword flashes and strikes down the Great Goblin. Then a voice guides
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, and one of the goblins catches up to the dwarf
Dori, who has been carrying Bilbo on his back. Bilbo falls off,
strikes his head on the ground, and loses consciousness.
Summary: Chapter 5
It’s got to ask uss a question, my preciouss,
yes, yess, yess. Jusst one more question to guess, yes, yess.
See Important Quotations Explained
When Bilbo regains consciousness, 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. He has no idea where the rest
of the company is, or in which direction the exit lies. Picking
the path he feels he had been traveling with the dwarves, 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, so he approaches the hobbit.
Bilbo brandishes his sword when he hears Gollum’s hissing voice.
Gollum does not wish to contend with the sword, so he
proposes a riddle game. If Gollum’s riddle stumps Bilbo, he will
eat Bilbo, but if Bilbo’s stumps Gollum, Gollum will show Bilbo
the way out of the mountain. Bilbo has no choice but to agree, and
they begin asking each other riddles. In the end, Bilbo wins through
a bit of trickery. Referring to the ring he had found, he asks,
“What have I got in my pocket?” and Gollum cannot guess the right
answer. Gollum, however, does not intend to let his meal get away
so easily. He goes to his island in the middle of the lake to get
his “precious,” a golden ring that makes its wearer invisible—the
very ring that Bilbo had found.
