The Hobbit

It was long after the break of day, when he woke up.

Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away, ere break of day, To find our long-forgotten gold.

“Whatever were you doing there?” asked Thorin with a shudder, and al the dwarves shivered.

“Never you mind. I was finding things out, as usual; and a nasty dangerous business it was.

we stil mean to get it back, and to bring our curses home to Smaug—if we

can

The river rushed up in steam and a fog fel on Dale, and in the fog the dragon came on them and destroyed most of the warriors—the usual unhappy story, it was only too common in those days.

“That would be no good,” said the wizard,

“not without a mighty Warrior, even a Hero. I tried to find one; but warriors are busy fighting one another in distant lands, and in this neighbourhood heroes are scarce, or simply not to be found. Swords in these parts are mostly blunt, and axes are used for trees, and shields as cradles or dish-covers; and dragons are

comfortably

far-off

(and

therefore

legendary).

ere break of day,

so sudden and sweet that Bilbo forgot everything else, and was swept away into dark lands under strange moons

There’s no hurry, we have al the day before us!