[Findegil]

Okay now at last a part of the new chapter in plain text:

Of the Finding of the Ring
The matter would scarcely have concerned later history, or earned more than a note in the long annals of the Third Age, but for an ‘accident’ by the way. The party was assailed by Orcs in a high pass of the Misty Mountains as they went towards Wilderland; and so it happened that Bilbo was lost for a while in the black orc-mines deep under the mountains, and there, as he groped in vain in the dark, he put his hand on a ring, lying on the floor of a tunnel. He put it in his pocket. It seemed then like mere luck.

Wilderland
Trying to find his way out, Bilbo went on down to the roots of the mountains, until he could go no further. At the bottom of the tunnel lay a cold lake far from the light, and on an island of rock in the water lived Gollum. He was a loathsome little creature: he paddled a small boat with his large flat feet, peering with pale luminous eyes and catching blind fish with his long fingers, and eating them raw. He ate any living thing, even orc, if he could catch it and strangle it without a struggle. He possessed a secret treasure that had come to him long ages ago, when he still lived in the light: a ring of gold that made its wearer invisible. It was the one thing he loved, his 'precious', and he talked to it, even when it was not with him. For he kept it hidden safe in a hole on his island, except when he was hunting or spying on the orcs of the mines.
Maybe he would have attacked Bilbo at once, if the ring had been on him when they met; but it was not, and the hobbit held in his hand an Elvish knife, which served him as a sword. So to gain time Gollum challenged Bilbo to the Riddle-game, saying that if he asked a riddle which Bilbo could not guess, then he would kill him and eat him; but if Bilbo defeated him, then he would do as Bilbo wished: he would lead him to a way out of the tunnels.
Since he was lost in the dark without hope, and could neither go on nor back. Bilbo accepted the challenge; and they asked one another many riddles. In the end Bilbo won the game, more by luck (as it seemed) than by wits; for he was stumped at last for a riddle to ask, and cried out, as his hand came upon the ring he had picked up and forgotten: What have I got in my pocket? This Gollum failed to answer, though he demanded three guesses.
The Authorities, it is true, differ whether this last question was a mere 'question' and not a 'riddle' according to the strict rules of the Game; but all agree that, after accepting it and trying to guess the answer, Gollum was bound by his promise. And Bilbo pressed him to keep his word; for the thought came to him that this slimy creature might prove false, even though such promises were held sacred, and of old all but the wickedest things feared to break them. But after ages alone in the dark Gollum’s heart was black, and treachery was in it. He slipped away, and returned to the island, of which Bilbo knew nothing, not far off in the dark water. There, he thought, lay his ring. He was hungry now, and angry, and once his 'precious' was with him he would not fear any weapon at all.
But the ring was not on the island; he had lost it, it was gone. His screech sent a shiver down Bilbo's back, though he did not yet understand what had happened. But Gollum had at last leaped to a guess, too late. What has it got in its pocketses? he cried. The light in his eyes was like a green flame as he sped back to murder the hobbit and recover his 'precious'. Just in time Bilbo saw his peril, and he fled blindly up the passage away from the water; and once more he was saved by his luck. For just as he ran he put his hand in his pocket, and the ring slipped quietly on to his finger. So it was that Gollum passed him without seeing him, and went to guard the way out, lest the ‘thief’ should escape. Warily Bilbo followed him, as he went along, cursing, and talking to himself about his 'precious'; from which talk at last even Bilbo guessed the truth, and hope came to him in the darkness: he himself had found the marvellous ring and a chance of escape from the orcs and from Gollum.
At length they came to a halt before an unseen opening that led to the lower gates of the mines, on the eastward side of the mountains. There Gollum crouched at bay, smelling and listening; and Bilbo was tempted to slay him with his sword. But pity stayed him, and though he kept the ring, in which his only hope lay, he would not use it to help him kill the wretched creature at a disadvantage. In the end, gathering his courage, he leaped over Gollum in the dark, and fled away down the passage, pursued by his enemy's cries of hate and despair: Thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it for ever!
Now it is a curious fact that this is not the story as Bilbo first told it to his companions. To them his account was that Gollum had promised to give him a present, if he won the game; but when Gollum went to fetch it from his island he found the treasure was gone: a magic ring, which had been given to him long ago on his birthday. Bilbo guessed that this was the very ring that he had found, and as he had won the game, it was already his by right. But being in a tight place, he said nothing about it, and made Gollum show him the way out, as a reward instead of a present. This account Bilbo set down in his memoirs, and he seems never to have altered it himself, not even after the Council of Elrond. Evidently it still appeared in the original Red Book, as it did in several of the copies and abstracts. But many copies contain the true account (as an alternative), derived no doubt from notes by Frodo or Samwise, both of whom learned the truth, though they seem to have been unwilling to delete anything actually written by the old hobbit himself.
Gandalf, however, disbelieved Bilbo's first story, as soon as he heard it, and he continued to be very curious about the ring. Eventually he got the true tale out of Bilbo after much questioning, which for a while strained their friendship; but the wizard seemed to think the truth important. Though he did not say so to Bilbo, he also thought it important, and disturbing, to find that the good hobbit had not told the truth from the first: quite contrary to his habit. The idea of a 'present' was not mere hobbitlike invention, all the same. It was suggested to Bilbo, as he confessed, by Gollum's talk that he overheard; for Gollum did, in fact, call the ring his 'birthday present', many times. That also Gandalf thought strange and suspicious; but he did not discover the truth in this point for many more years.
Of Bilbo's later adventures little more need be said here. With the help of the ring he escaped from the orc-guards at the gate and rejoined his companions. He used the ring many times on his quest, chiefly for the help of his friends; but he kept it secret from them as long as he could. As they passed through that part of the mountains they scramble down the mountain side and found a wolf-ring in the woods. They climbing their trees and the wolves were all underneath, while Gandalf gave them some fire works. There they were with the wolves gone mad under them, and the forest beginning to blaze in places, when the goblins came down from the mountains, and discovered them. They yelled with delight and sang songs making fun of them:
“fifteen birds in five fir trees“
When the wizard had prepared for his last stroke the eagles came to their rescue, and little Bilbo remembered of their flight to the Carrock. At last they came to the house of Beorn. They told Beorn of their quest.

Eagles’ Eyrie
Darkness fell, and they were given beds in the hall. Moon shone in through the louver. Beorn stood up and bid them goodnight, but warned them that they must not stray outside the hall till dawn on their peril. He went out, and they went to sleep.
Bilbo woke up to hear growling outside, and scraping and snuffling at the doors. Next morning they could find no sign of Beorn; but they found breakfast laid on the veranda. The sheep, horses and dogs waited on them. Night came again, and Bilbo hared more growling. Next morning Beorn was there. He was very pleasant to them. They found out that he had been right away back to the mountains and found out their story was true. He had caught a warg and a goblin and was delighted to think of the death of the chief goblin. So they told him of their quest and asked his help. He lent them ponies and food. They were to ride these as far as the edge of the great forest, then to send them home; but to treat them well and not ride them fast.

They started of and rode till dark. Bilbo thought he saw a big bear sneaking in the trees at their side. ‘Sh!,’ said Gandalf, ‘take no notice.’
They camped at edge of the great forest; and send back the ponies. In the moon they saw them trotting back with a big bear trotting after them.
In the morning it was as dark in the forest almost as night.
‘Do we have to go through?’ said Bilbo.
‘Yes,’ said Gandalf, ‘you would have to go a hundred miles either way to get round it – and in the North you would be back at the Misty Mountains again and at the south end the Necromancer lives. At this point there is a track through. But it is a narrow one. Don’t stray off it – if you do you won’t find the path again and I don’t know what will happen. When you get to the other side you will come to the long marshes but you will already see far and faint the Lonely Mountain in the East. There is a path across the Marches.’ ‘We know, we know,’ said Thorin, ‘that is on the borders of our own land, and we have not forgotten – beyond the marches are the wide fields and then at last we come if we turn half south to Long Lake, but hurrying straight on we shall come to the west of the Mountain and the Secret Entrance.’

‘All right, then,’ said Gandalf. ‘Now of you go. Take care of yourselves and goodbye.’
He wouldn’t stay. ‘No,’ he said. ‘This is your affair. I have come much farther than I meant. I have other business on hand now that can wait no longer.’ And off he went back towards Beorn.
Mirkwood
Ever the shadow in Mirkwood had grown deeper, and to Dol Guldur evil things repaired out of all the dark places of the world; and they were united again under one will, and their malice was directed against the Elves and the survivors of Númenor. Gandalf went off as soon as the expedition against Smaug was well started, to persuade the Council to attack Dol Guldur first, before he attacked Lórien.
Therefore at last the Council was again summoned and the lore of the Rings was much debated; but Mithrandir spoke to the Council, saying:
‘It is not needed that the Ring should be found, for while it abides on earth and is not unmade, still the power that it holds will live, and Sauron will grow and have hope. The might of the Elves and the Elf-friends is less now than of old. Soon he will be too strong for you, even without the Great Ring; for he rules the Nine, and of the Seven he has recovered three. We must strike.’
To this Curunír now assented, desiring that Sauron should be thrust from Dol Guldur, which was nigh to the River, and should have leisure to search there no longer. Therefore, for the last time, he aided the Council, and they put forth their strength; and they assailed Dol Guldur, and drove Sauron from his hold, and Mirkwood for a brief while was made wholesome again. And at that occasion the White Council met for the last time, and Curunír withdrew to Isengard, and took counsel with none save himself.
But their stroke was too late. For the Dark Lord had foreseen it, and he had long prepared all his movements; and the Úlairi, his Nine Servants, had gone before him to make ready for his coming. Therefore his flight was but a feint, and he soon returned, and ere the Wise could prevent him he re-entered his kingdom in Mordor and reared once again the dark towers of Barad-dûr. And yet that was not his original plan; and it was in the end a mistake. Resistance still had somewhere where it could take counsel free from the Shadow. And those places might have fallen if Sauron had thrown all his power against them first, and not spent more than half of it in the assault on Gondor.

<editorial addition Barad-dûr>

The dwarves and Bilbo plunged into the forest. Very dark and silent it was. Black squirrels peeped at them; and all kinds of queer sneaky creatures in the undergrowth. They saw a sort of track like a rabbit track and stuck to it – in a long line. They went on till their food was getting short, so they stretched it out with beechnuts and acorns. Bilbo climbed a tree and saw Purple Emperors only they are black, but the forest seemed still to stretch on far ahead. Night came, and they saw a light not far from the track. Peering through the trees they saw people sitting in a clearing having a feast. They were so hungry that they disobeyed the warning and creped off towards the light to beg food. When they got there the lights went out and they were in pitch dark. They couldn’t even see one another, and fell over in dark trying to find one another. They could not find the track again. Later they saw a light again. It went out again as they creped up. This went on till they were quit bewildered. At last they lost one another. Bilbo hared voices all over the wood answering and calling, but they died away until Bilbo was alone. He found himself in a huge spiders web.

This spider came at him. He killed her, put the ring on and went off towards spiderwebs.
He called for Dori, Nori, Ori, Óin and Glóin, Balin, Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur, Fíli, Kíli, Thorin. But no answer came. The spiders were sitting up in the branches spinning black webs – and guarding their prisoners. Bilbo hared them talking about the nice pretty meat. He found them all hung up, in webs twined round – like spider-meat. All except Thorin. Luckily Bilbo had his ring. He picked up a stone and struck a spider down. Great commotion went up about the spiders, and they all came towards him. He slipped off in another direction and knocked down another spider.
Then when they had all swung down on the ground he sang a song.
Old fat spider spinning in a tree
Old fat spider can’t spy me
Attercop! Attercop!
Won’t you Stopp,
Stop your spinning and seek for me?
Old Tom-noddy all big body
Old Tom noddy can’t spy me
Attercop! Attercop
Down you drop,
You never will catch me in your tree.
Then he threw another stone. Only a few spiders came down, others ran along the branches and swung from tree to tree. They wove webs all round the clearing.
He went to a different place and sang.
Lazy lob and crazy Cob
Are weaving webs to wind me.
See the tender meat is hanging sweet
but still they can not find me.
Here am I naughty little fly
You are fat and lazy
and I laughing fly as I go by
Through your cobwebs crazy
Then he slashed one of their webs to pieces.
They all came in that direction and so he led them far away and then crept back and loosed the dwarves.
But the spiders found out before he finished - and the dwarves found out about his ring, but they did not lose their respect because of his brave deed.
They had a dreadful time following Bilbo with the spiders after them and others in front weaving thick webs to stop them. But the dwarves beat them off with branches at the rear while Bilbo cut the webs ahead.
At last the spiders got tired of following. So they got free.
Where was Thorin? Caught by Wood-elves. They took him to the caves of their king. They had had a battle with dwarves long ago and did not like them so he shut Thorin up and sent people to look for the others.

The dwarves were all captured by the Wood-elves but Bilbo popped on his ring and followed them into the caves. Bilbo got out the magic gates, but mostly lived by stealing food. By luck he found Thorin’s cell. He thought that he must get a message to Gandalf. He went from cell to cell and managed to speak to the dwarves; and he told them he had found Thorin in a very deep dungeon. Thorin would not tell the king his errand, because he was not willing to share his treasure with the Wood-elves.
The river flowed under part of the caves and issued by a secret water gate. That way the Wood-elves got many of their supplies, especially of wine. When the barrels were empty they dropped them into the river, and they floated out through the watergate until the current brought them to a place on the bank not far from the edge of the forest. There they were linked together and floated like a raft down past the marshes and the reedy places to the Long Lake.
At times Bilbo kept on lurking in the king’s passages, living on scraps of food. ‘Living like a burglar that can’t get out again’ he thought. But in the end he had a desperate idea.
He stole the jailers keys and let out a dwarf at a time. He hid them in barrels. In this way they are all were thrown in the water.
Indeed Bilbo escaped only by sitting outside one. The barrels were assembled, even so grumbles about the barrels not being empty arose of the elves.

Bilbo comes to the Huts of the Raft-elves
Made up as a raft, the barrels were floated past the marshes. The raft-elves told tales of the disappearance of the rafts and the loss of men and beasts in these places.

<editorial additionMap of the Long Lake>
They reached Long Lake and a town of men. The dwarves at night stole out of their barrels and went to the town.

Esgaroth
Arguments arose about the imprisonment by the elves between Thorin and the Mayor. They got food, and wagons on credit and went off. The elves went back to the king who made a plan.
The Lonely Mountain
Coming near the mountain all the land was deserted.

The Lonely Mountain
The dwarves camped in a hollow near the skirts of the mountain. Form here some went taking Bilbo up the river from the Long Lake, the Running river. They looked on the Ruins of Dale. Smoke came out of the Front Door.
‘Then Smaug is still alive?’ asked Bilbo. ‘Doesn’t tell. Inside of the Mountain is probably pretty hot!’ answered Balin.

Plan of the Lonely Mountain
A whole summer had now gone by since they stayed with Elrond. It was autumn now, but exceptional bleak and lonely. They crept nearer the mountain by stages but only saw crows, and were afraid of them as spices. The autumn waned. After endless search on the west side of the mountain guided by the map they found a wall of rock standing in a kind of bay. Strangely flat with grass up on its feet. It was the door. But it had no key and nowhere could any crack or chink be seen. Nothing they could do would make any of it stir.

The Back Door
Bilbo was wandering disconsolately. The dwarves were silent fierce and unfriendly, and he would hear them muttering that the burglar – especially with his ring – ought to go in by the Front Gate if necessary. He had clombered up the hill and on to the little flat terrace platform where the flat rock-face stood. Looking back he could see the trees in the distance going brown towards late autumn. Suddenly he saw the orange sun setting and saw the new moon pale and sharp in the Western sky as well. At the very moment he heard a sharp crack. There on a gray stone was a huge and ancient thrush, coal black with white heart and black freckles. It was cracking snails upon the stone.
Crack crack.

View from the Back Door
Bilbo yelled on the hill, and fetched the dwarves. They watched excitedly as sun sank lower and lower. It went behind a cloud to their despair. But suddenly just before it touched the rim of the forest a red ray shot through a rent in the sky and fell on the rock-slab. There was a crack, and there was a hole in the wall as if by the sun a flake of rock had fallen of.
The key that went with the map fitted and the door swung in. Darkness fell suddenly and the moon went quickly after the sun.
The dwarves said now Bilbo must go in, if he were to fulfil his contract. They wouldn’t go with him, only Balin Yellow-beard came part of the way, in case he called for help.
The Hobbit creped into the dark mountain. It was easier than he thought. There was an absolutely straight tunnel going gently down for a great way. Bilbo began to see a light at the end, getting redder and redder. He hared a bubbling snoring sound. It got very warm, and vapours started to float up.
Bilbo peeped into the great bottommost dungeon at Mountain’s root which was nearly dark, save for the glow from Smaug. The great red dragon was fast asleep upon a vast pile of precious things. He was partly on one side: Bilbo could see that he was crusted underneath with gems.
Bilbo stole a cup to show he had been there. He saw dimly shields and swords and spears.
The dwarves patted him on the back. But he had aroused the wrath of the Dragon. He came out – of course he could not get up the tunnel - to hunt the thief, and settled flaming on the Mountain. Then he flew all round it roaring.
In great terror the dwarves hide in the tunnel, pulling and dragging in their bundles when Smaug came whirling from the North, licking the mountain wall with flames, beating his great wings with a noise like a roaring wind.

Later Bilbo went back again. The Dragon was only pretending to be asleep. Bilbo caught a glint in his eye and stayed at the mouth of the tunnel and slipped on his ring. The dragon asked where he had gone to. Bilbo did not say who he was but said he came over the water on a barrel, the dragon thinks he is one of Long Lake men. The dragon tried to poison his mind with half-truths against the dwarves. He said that they don’t worry about him or paying him. Supposing they could get treasure how could they carry it off? he asked, and that they didn’t told him that shares won’t work.
Bilbo said they have not only come for treasure but revenge.
The dragon laughed.
Bilbo flattered him, saying that he certainly never imagined Smaug was so tremendous.
The dragon said no warrior could kill him now, since he is armoured with gems underneath. Bilbo asked him to show – and saw a bare patch. Then he escaped but the dragon send fiery spurts after him, and poor Bilbo was burned badly.
He went back to the dwarves filled with misgivings and asked them about their future plans. They were a bit flummoxed. They told him of the Gem of Girion king of Dale, which he had paid for his sons’ arming in gold and silver made like steel and the Arkenstone. Bilbo talked to the dwarves about the bare patch in the old Smaug's diamond waistcoat, and all the while the thrush listened, and at last as the sun sank towards the forest he flew away. Bilbo warned the dwarves that the dragon knew of the exit. Greater wrath of Dragon: He came out and sniffed all round the mountain, flying fiercely round and round to find the thief. In terror the dwarves kicked away the stone that blocked the door. Then they thrust upon it and it closed with a snap and a clang. And not a moment too soon. A blow smote the side of the Mountain like the crash of battering rams. They fled far down the tunnel glad to be still alive, pursued by the roar without where Smaug was breaking rocks to pieces smashing wall and cliff with his great tail, till their little lofty camping ground all disappeared in a jumble of smashed boulders, and an avalanche of splintered stones fell over the cliff into the valley underneath.
The dragon thought that it were men from Long Lake, and went off in dreadful rage to destroy their town. The people saw him coming and cut down the bridge to their lake-dwelling. The dragon flew over them and set houses alight, but dared not settle right in the lake. They tried to quench fire with water and shot darts at him. Glint of gems in dragon’s belly in light of fire were seen. At last most people flew on boats. The Dragon planed to settle at the side of the lake and starve them out. The Dragon was slain by Bard of Esgaroth, who received a message send by the Thrush to Lake Town – it arrived too late but reached Bard before his last shot. It brought him word in the last moment of the bare patch. When the Dragon fell he crushed Esgaroth (Lake-town) and sunk into the lake so that fast clouds of steams went up. But Bard escaped. The anguish of the Lake-men and wrath of the Master was great. They now hated the dwarves as source of the trouble: some even suggested that the driving forth of the dragon against them was deliberate.

Death of Smaug
Messengers went to the Wood-elves; and the king’s spies brought him news. He led forth the soldiers and they joined with the lake men under Bard. They went north to capture the dwarves and the gold.

The Dwarves and Bilbo set and quaked. They were unable to tell passage of time. The silence went on and on. And still they dared note move. They doused and woke and still the silence was unbroken. The next day and next night and no sign of the dragon they could find. They tried to open the door – no good of course.
‘We are trapped,’ they said and grumbled at Bilbo.
In desperation they went down the tunnel.
Bilbo slipped on his ring. It was absolute dark in the hall. No sign or sound of Smaug was to be found. The stillness was uncanny.
He got Glóin to light him a little torch. He climbed the mound of gold – the dwarves saw him from afar like a little spark. They saw him stoop but didn’t know why. Bilbo stole a bright gem which fascinated him – the Arkenstone. Bilbo thought that he must earn it.
He explored all the hall, and peeped through its door into the vast passages above. The Dwarves prepared to creep through the old halls.
Thorin was their guide.
Dreading at every step to hear Smaug’s return thy climbed the long stairs and passages through dark deserted halls following his torch.
At last they reached the outer gate. A whirl of bats flew out. The gate was a smooth and slimy passage worn by the dragon by the river-side. They stood in the blessed light of day and saw it was early morning in the east.
Crows were flying South in flocks.

The Front Door
And armies were on the march North.
In the evening a raven brought word. It bowed to Thorin (now that Smaug was dead) and they learned of the Battle and Smaug’s overthrow, and that the armies of the Lake-men and Wood-elves were coming to take the gold.
Raven told of two or three ponies still alive and offered also to assemble their folk and bring messages to Thorins relatives.
Fíli and Kíli went off too catch ponies. The others went into the Mountain. Great labours they began day and night at the great door. Bilbo kept watch on Ravenhill.
The birds brought news of the approach of the men of lake and the Elvenking and the host of the Elves.
The dwarves gathered weapons and store of arrows to the Front gate which now was blocked with stones with crevices for shouting from.
Three days later Fíli and Kíli came to the Front Gate and begged for admittance. They had recovered all the stores they could carry from near the foot of the great spur. The host was already at the foot of the mountain. And that night the camp fires started up in the ruins of Dale.
Next day it came to the parley at the Gates. Thorin’s scornful words, he would give nothing to demand. What got they out of the last King under the Mountain? The Elvenking on behalf of the Lake-men demanded payment for the killing of Smaug, the destruction of the town, all the slain. Thorin said, ‘first remove your menace from my palace.’ But stores run low.
The siege of the mountain is set by Elves and Men.
Bilbo sneaked forth at night and came to the camps. He called for Bard and sat amid the counsellors. He said the Arkenstone was his own since he was entitled to choose his share. If it were all – and the dwarves prize it more dearly than all else – he would give it to Bard the heir of Girion to let his friends go in peace. The Wood-elves and other counsellors spoke against him.

<editorial addition Thorin’s letter to Bilbo>
An old man rose from the floor. It was Gandalf!
He spoke to Bard. ‘Prophecies often come true in different guise,’ he said. ‘Be not a greater fool than the fools who drove the dragon from his wealth. Believe not prophecies less because you yourself have aided in their fulfilment. The gold is not yours. Prosperity shall reign if the real King under the Mountain comes back. Be not outdone in generosity by plain Mr. Baggins who has bargained all his reward for his friends. Dale and Lake Town are to be rebuilt.’
‘Who are you?’ says the king of the Wood-elves.
‘I am Gandalf!’
Then he believed at last that Thorin is indeed Thorin son of Thráin son of Thrór. ‘Why did he not say so?’ ‘Your own acts condemn you – because dwarves understood better than all others the power of the greed of gold and fear therefore more certainly to extend it. You owe them aid not enmity.’
Thus came the peace and pact of the Ruined City.
Thorin grieved at first when he learned of Bilbo’s dealing with the Arkenstone.
Yet, though before all was won the Battle of Five Armies was fought in Dale. For the Orcs came down upon Erebor as soon as they heard of the return of the Dwarves; and they were led by Bolg, son of that Azog whom Dáin slew in his youth. Bilbo put on a suit of silver mail made for a son of Girion, and went with the Wood-elves to battle. In that first Battle of Dale, Thorin Oakenshield was mortally wounded. There fell also Fíli and Kíli, his sister-sons. Beorn was there as a great bear and carried Thorin out of the fray and the goblins of the Misty Mountains and wargs were defeated.

Coming of the Eagles
But before Thorin died he said to Bilbo: ‘There is indeed more in you than you know yourself. We have as seemed unlikely to be thankful to Gandalf. And yet perhaps you have more to thank him for than all – even though you went hence empty-handed.’ Thorin was laid in a tomb under the Mountain with the Arkenstone upon his breast and the Wood-elf king gave back Orcrist which was laid on his tomb.
But Dáin Ironfoot, Thorin’s cousin, who came from the Iron Hills to his aid and was also his rightful heir, became then King Dáin II, and the Kingdom under the Mountain was restored, even as Gandalf had desired. Sauron and Smaug would have helped one another if the Council had not attacked Dol Guldur at the same time.
Dáin proved a great and wise king, and the Dwarves prospered and grew strong again in his day. The Wood-elves got rich presents.
Huge sums of money were given for rebuilding of Esgaroth.
They bad Bilbo take his share over and above the gem. He says he was sick of the sight of gold – yet in the end he accepted a bag filled with treasure by the dwarves a set of golden dinner service and the Gem of Girion. With these he set out home with Gandalf. An escort of Wood-elves was found until Mirkwood. The Gem of Girion Bilbo gave as a gift to the Elvenking at their parting.
After the battle the way was clear over the mountains. They uncovered the trolls’ gold and shared it.
Briefly they stayed at Elrond’s. But in the end Bilbo thought he will go home to his own hole. Took was getting tired.
Arriving at own home Bilbo found that he was ‘Presumed dead’. He came in the middle of an auction. Otherwise he became just a hobbit again – but very different. He took to writing poetry and was regarded a bit queer.
His ring he used only when unwelcome callers came.
After Bilbo’s return to his home he never spoke of it again to anyone, save Gandalf and Frodo; and no one else in the Shire knew of its existence, or so he believed. Only to Frodo did he show the account of his Journey that he was writing.
His sword, Sting, Bilbo hung over his fireplace, and his coat of marvellous mail, the gift of the Dwarves from the Dragon-hoard, he lent to a museum, to the Michel Delving Mathom-house in fact. But he kept in a drawer at Bag End the old cloak and hood that he had worn on his travels; and the ring, secured by a fine chain, remained in his pocket.
Balin took to travelling again. He visited Bilbo in Hobbiton, and not very long after that he went away for two or three years. Then he returned to the Mountain with a great number of dwarves that he discovered wandering masterless in the South and East. He wanted Dáin to go back to Moria - or at least to allow him to found a colony there and reopen the great mines. Moria was the ancestral home of the dwarves of the race of Durin, and the forefathers of Thorin and Dáin dwelt there, until they were driven by the goblin invasions far into the North. Now Balin reported that Moria was again wholly deserted, since the great defeat of the goblins, but the mines were still rich, especially in silver. Dáin was not willing to leave the Mountain and the tomb of Thorin, but he allowed Balin to go, and he took with him many of the folk of the Mountain as well as his own following; and Ori and Óin went with him. For many years things went well, and the colony throve; there was traffic once more between Moria and the Mountain, and many gifts of silver were sent to Dáin. Then fortune changed. The messengers of the Dwarves of the Mountain were attacked and robbed by cruel Men, well-armed. No messengers came from Moria; but rumour reached the Mountain that the mines and dwarf-city were again deserted. For long the Dwarves could not learn what had become of Balin and his people - but then they had news, and it was evil.

Respectfully
Findegil