jrt.the hobbit-第26节

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thousand　to　one　you　will　never　find　it　again　and　never　get　out　of　Mirkwood；　and　then　I　don't　suppose　I；　or　any　one　else；　will　ever　see　you　again。〃
　〃Do　we　really　have　to　go　through？〃　groaned　the　hobbit。
　〃Yes；　you　do！〃　said　the　wizard；　〃if　you　want　to　get　to　the　other　side。　　You　must　either　go　through　or　give　up　your　quest。　And　I　am　not　going　to　allow　you　to　back　out　now；　Mr。　Baggins。　I　am　ashamed　of　you　for　thinking　of　it。　You　have　got　to　look　after　all　these　dwarves　for　me；〃　he　laughed。　　〃No！　no！〃　said　Bilbo。　〃I　didn't　mean　that。　I　meant；　is　there　no　way　round？〃
　〃There　is；　if　you　care　to　go　two　hundred　miles　or　so　out　of　your　way　north；　and　twice　that　south。　But　you　wouldn't　get　a　safe　path　even　then。　There　are　no　safe　paths　in　this　part　of　the　world。　Remember　you　are　over　the　Edge　of　the　Wild　now；　and　in　for　all　sorts　of　fun　wherever　you　go。　Before　you　could　get　round　Mirkwood　in　the　North　you　would　be　right　among　the　slopes　of　the　Grey　Mountains；　and　they　are　simply　stiff　with　goblins；　hobgoblins；　and　rest　of　the　worst　description。　Before　you　could　get　round　it　in　the　South；　you　would　get　into　the　land　of　the　Necromancer；　and　even　you。　Bilbo；　won't　need　me　to　tell　you　tales　of　that　black　sorcerer。　I　don't　advise　you　to　go　anywhere　near　the　places　overlooked　by　his　dark　tower！　Stick　to　the　forest…track；　keep　your　spirits　up；　hope　for　the　best；　and　with　a　tremendous　slice　of　luck　you　may　e　out　one　day　and　see　the　Long　Marshes　lying　below　you；　and　beyond　them；　high　in　the　East；　the　Lonely　Mountain　where　dear　old　Smaug　lives；　though　I　hope　he　is　not　expecting　you。〃
　〃Very　forting　you　are　to　be　sure；〃　growled　Thorin。　〃Good…bye！　If　you　won't　e　with　us；　you　had　better　get　off　without　any　more　talk！〃　〃Good…bye　then；　and　really　good…bye！〃　said　Gandalf；　and　he　turned　his　horse　and　rode　down　into　the　West。　But　he　could　not　resist　the　temptation　to　have　the　last　word。　Before　he　had　passed　quite　out　of　hearing　he　turned　and　put　his　hands　to　his　mouth　and　called　to　them。　They　heard　his　voice　e　faintly：　〃Good…bye！　Be　good；　take　care　of　yourselves…and　DON'T　LEAVE　THE　PATH！〃
　Then　he　galloped　away　and　was　soon　lost　to　sight。　〃O　good…bye　and　go　away！〃　grunted　the　dwarves；　all　the　more　angry　because　they　were　really　filled　with　dismay　at　losing　him。　Now　began　the　most　dangerous　part　of　all　the　journey。
　They　each　shouldered　the　heavy　pack　and　the　water…skin　which　was　their　share；　and　turned　from　the　light　that　lay　on　the　lands　outside　and　plunged　into　the　forest。
　
　Chapter　8
　Flies　and　Spiders
　
　They　walked　in　single　file。　The　entrance　to　the　path　was　like　a　sort　of　arch　leading　into　a　gloomy　tunnel　made　by　two　great　trees　that　leant　together；　too　old　and　strangled　with　ivy　and　hung　with　lichen　to　bear　more　than　a　few　blackened　leaves。　The　path　itself　was　narrow　and　wound　in　and　out　among　the　trunks。　Soon　the　light　at　the　gate　was　like　a　little　bright　hole　far　behind；　and　the　quiet　was　so　deep　that　their　feet　seemed　to　thump　along　while　all　the　trees　leaned　over　them　and　listened。　As　theft　eyes　became　used　to　the　dimness　they　could　see　a　little　way　to　either　side　in　a　sort　of　darkened　green　glimmer。　Occasionally　a　slender　beam　of　sun　that　had　the　luck　to　slip　in　through　some　opening　in　the　leaves　far　above；　and　still　more　luck　in　not　being　caught　in　the　tangled　boughs　and　matted　twigs　beneath；　stabbed　down　thin　and　bright　before　them。　But　this　was　seldom；　and　it　soon　ceased　altogether。　　There　were　black　squirrels　in　the　wood。　As　Bilbo's　sharp　inquisitive　eyes　got　used　to　seeing　things　he　could　catch　glimpses　of　them　whisking　off　the　path　and　scuttling　behind　tree…trunks。　There　were　queer　noises　too；　grunts；　scufflings；　and　hurryings　in　the　undergrowth；　and　among　the　leaves　that　lay　piled　endlessly　thick　in　places　on　the　forest…floor；　but　what　made　the　noises　he　could　not　see。　The　nastiest　things　they　saw　were　the　cobwebs：　dark　dense　cobwebs　with　threads　extraordinarily　thick；　often　stretched　from　tree　to　tree；　or　tangled　in　the　lower　branches　on　either　side　of　them。　There　were　none　stretched　across　the　path；　but　whether　because　some　magic　kept　it　clear；　or　for　what　other　reason　they　could　not　guess。
　It　was　not　long　before　they　grew　to　hate　the　forest　as　heartily　as　they　had　hated　the　tunnels　of　the　goblins；　and　it　seemed　to　offer　even　less　hope　of　any　ending。　But　they　had　to　go　on　and　on；　long　after　they　were　sick　for　a　sight　of　the　sun　and　of　the　sky；　and　longed　for　the　feel　of　wind　on　their　faces。　There　was　no　movement　of　air　down　under　the　forest…roof；　and　it　was　everlastingly　still　and　dark　and　stuffy。　Even　the　dwarves　felt　it；　who　were　used　to　tunnelling；　and　lived　at　times　for　long　whiles　without　the　light　of　the　sun；　but　the　hobbit；　who　liked　holes　to　make　a　house　in　but　not　to　spend　summer　days　in；　felt　he　was　being　slowly　suffocated。　　The　nights　were　the　worst。　It　then　became　pitch…dark　…　not　what　you　call　pitch…dark；　but　really　pitch；　so　black　that　you　really　could　see　nothing。　　Bilbo　tried　flapping　his　hand　in　front　of　his　nose；　but　he　could　not　see　it　at　all。　Well；　perhaps　it　is　not　true　to　say　that　they　could　see　nothing：　they　could　see　eyes。　They　slept　all　closely　huddled　together；　and　took　it　in　turns　to　watch；　and　when　it　was　Bilbo's　turn　he　would　see　gleams　in　the　darkness　round　them；　and　sometimes　pairs　of　yellow　or　red　or　green　eyes　would　stare　at　him　from　a　little　distance；　and　then　slowly　fade　and　disappear　and　slowly　shine　out　again　in　another　place。　And　sometimes　they　would　gleam　down　from　the　branches　just　above　him；　and　that　was　most　terrifying。　But　the　eyes　that　he　liked　the　least　were　horrible　pale　bulbous　sort　of　eyes。　〃Insect　eyes〃　he　thought；　〃not　animal　eyes；　only　they　are　much　too　big。〃　Although　it　was　not　yet　very　cold；　they　tried　lighting　watch…fires　at　night；　but　they　soon　gave　that　up。　It　seemed　to　bring　hundreds　and　hundreds　of　eyes　all　round　them；　though　the　creatures；　whatever　they　were；　were　careful　never　to　let　their　bodies　show　in　the　little　flicker　of　the　flames。　Worse　still　it　brought　thousands　of　dark…grey　and　black　moths；　some　nearly　as　big　as　your　hand；　flapping　and　whirring　round　their　ears。　They　could　not　stand　that；　nor　the　huge　bats；　black　as　a　top…hat；　either；　so　they　gave　up　fires　and　sat　at　night　and　dozed　in　the　enormous　uncanny　darkness。　　All　this　went　on　for　what　seemed　to　the　hobbit　ages　upon　ages；　and　he　was　always　hungry；　for　they　were　extremely　careful　with　their　provisions。　Even　so；　as　days　followed　days；　and　still　the　forest　seemed　just　the　same；　they　began　to　get　anxious。　The　food　would　not　last　for　ever：　it　was　in　fact　already　beginning　to　get　low。　They　tried　shooting　at　the　squirrels；　and　they　wasted　many　arrows　before　they　managed　to　bring　one　down　on　the　path。　But　when　they　roasted　it；　it　proved　horrible　to　taste；　and　they　shot　no　more　squirrels。　　They　were　thirsty　too；　for　they　had　none　too　much　water；　and　in　all　the　time　they　had　seen　neither　spring　nor　stream。　This　was　their　state　when　one　day　they　found　their　path　blocked　by　a　running　water。　It　flowed　fast　and　strong　but　not　very　wide　right　across　the　way；　and　it　was　black；　or　looked　it　in　the　gloom。　It　was　well　that　Beorn　had　warned　them　against　it；　or　they　would　have　drunk　from　it；　whatever　its　colour；　and　filled　some　of　their　emptied　skins　at　its　bank。　As　it　was　they　only　thought　of　how　to　cross　it　without　wetting　themselves　in　its　water。　There　had　been　a　bridge　of　wood　across；　but　it　had　rotted　and　fallen　leaving　only　the　broken　posts　near　the　bank。　　Bilbo　kneeling　on　the　brink　and　peering　forward　cried：　〃There　is　a　boat　against　the　far　bank！　Now　why　couldn't　it　have　been　this　side！〃　〃How　far　away　do　you　think　it　is？〃　asked　Thorin；　for　by　now　they　knew　Bilbo　had　the　sharpest　eyes　among　them。
　〃Not　at　all　far。　I　shouldn't　think　above　twelve　yards。〃
　〃Twelve　yards！　I　should　have　thought　it　was　thirty　at　least；　but　my　eyes　don't　see　as　well　as　they　used　a　hundred　years　ago。　Still　twelve　yards　is　as　good　as　a　mile。　We　can't　jump　it；　and　we　daren't　try　to　wade　or　swim。〃　〃Can　any　of　you　throw　a　rope？〃
　〃What's　the　good　of　that？　The　boat　is　sure　to　be　tied　up；　even　if　we　could　hook　it；　which　I　doubt。〃
　〃I　don't　believe　it　is　tied；〃　said　Bilbo；　〃though　of　course　I　can't　be　sure　in　this　light；　but　it　looks　to　me　as　if　it　was　just　drawn　up　on　the　bank；　which　is　low　just　there　where　the　path　goes　down　into　the　water。〃　〃Dori　is　the　strongest；　but　Fili　is　the　youngest　and　still　has　the　best　sight；〃　said　Thorin。　〃e　here　Fili；　and　see　if　you　can　see　the　boat　Mr。　　Baggins　is　talking　about。〃
　Fili　thought　he　could；　so　when　he　had　stared　a　long　while　to　get　an　idea　of　the　direction；　the　others　brought　him　a　rope。　They　had　several　with　them；　and　on　the　end　of　the　longest　they　fastened　one　of　the　large　iron　hooks　they　had　used　for　catching　their　packs　to　the　straps　about　their　shoulders。　Fili　took　this　in　his　hand；　balanced　it　for　a　moment；　and　then　flung　it　across　the　stream。
　Splash　it　fell　in　the　water！　〃Not　far　enough！〃　said　Bilbo　who　was　peering　forward。　〃A　couple　of　feet　and　you　would　have　dropped　it　on　to　the　boat。　Try　again。　I　don't　suppose　the　magic　is　strong　enough　to　hurt　you；　if　you　just　touch　a　bit　of　wet　rope。〃
　Fili　picked　up　the　hook　when　he　had　drawn　it　back；　rather　doubtfully　all　the　same。