the fellowship of the ring-第5章

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At　length　they　came　to　a　halt　before　an　unseen　opening　that　led　to　thelower　gates　of　the　mines；　on　the　eastward　side　of　the　mountains。　There　Gollumcrouched　at　bay；　smelling　and　listening；　and　Bilbo　was　tempted　to　slay　himwith　his　sword。　But　pity　stayed　him；　and　though　he　kept　the　ring；　in　which　hisonly　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　thedark；　and　fled　away　down　the　passage；　pursued　by　his　enemy's　cries　of　hate　anddespair：　_Thief；　thief！　Baggins！　We　hates　it　for　ever！_　　
Now　it　is　a　curious　fact　that　this　is　not　the　story　as　Bilbo　first　toldit　to　his　panions。　To　them　his　account　was　that　Gollum　had　promised　to　givehim　a　_present；_　if　he　won　the　game；　but　when　Gollum　went　to　fetch　it　from　hisisland　he　found　the　treasure　was　gone：　a　magic　ring；　which　had　been　given　tohim　long　ago　on　his　birthday。　Bilbo　guessed　that　this　was　the　very　ring　thathe　had　found；　and　as　he　had　won　the　game；　it　was　already　his　by　right。　Butbeing　in　a　tight　place；　he　said　nothing　about　it；　and　made　Gollum　show　him　theway　out；　as　a　reward　instead　of　a　present。　This　account　Bilbo　set　down　in　hismemoirs；　and　he　seems　never　to　have　altered　it　himself；　not　even　after　theCouncil　of　Elrond。　Evidently　it　still　appeared　in　the　original　Red　Book；　as　itdid　in　several　of　the　copies　and　abstracts。　But　many　copies　contain　the　trueaccount　（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　todelete　anything　actually　written　by　the　old　hobbit　himself。　
Gandalf；　however；　disbelieved　Bilbo's　first　story；　as　soon　as　he　heardit；　and　he　continued　to　be　very　curious　about　the　ring。　Eventually　he　got　thetrue　tale　out　of　Bilbo　after　much　questioning；　which　for　a　while　strainedtheir　friendship；　but　the　wizard　seemed　to　think　the　truth　important。　Thoughhe　did　not　say　so　to　Bilbo；　he　also　thought　it　important；　and　disturbing；　tofind　that　the　good　hobbit　had　not　told　the　truth　from　the　first：　quitecontrary　to　his　habit。　The　idea　of　a　'present'　was　not　mere　hobbitlikeinvention；　all　the　same。　It　was　suggested　to　Bilbo；　as　he　confessed；　byGollum's　talk　that　he　overheard；　for　Gollum　did；　in　fact；　call　the　ring　his'birthday　present'；　many　times。　That　also　Gandalf　thought　strange　andsuspicious；　but　he　did　not　discover　the　truth　in　this　point　for　many　moreyears；　as　will　be　seen　in　this　book。　　
Of　Bilbo's　later　adventures　little　more　need　be　said　here。　With　the　helpof　the　ring　he　escaped　from　the　orc…guards　at　the　gate　and　rejoined　hispanions。　He　used　the　ring　many　times　on　his　quest；　chiefly　for　the　help　ofhis　friends；　but　he　kept　it　secret　from　them　as　long　as　he　could。　After　hisreturn　to　his　home　he　never　spoke　of　it　again　to　anyone；　save　Gandalf　andFrodo；　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　ofmarvellous　mail；　the　gift　of　the　Dwarves　from　the　Dragon…hoard；　he　lent　to　amuseum；　to　the　Michel　Delving　Mathom…house　in　fact。　But　he　kept　in　a　drawer　atBag　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。　
He　returned　to　his　home　at　Bag　End　on　June　the　22nd　in　his　fifty…secondyear　（S。R。　1342）；　and　nothing　very　notable　occurred　in　the　Shire　until　Mr。　
Baggins　began　the　preparations　for　the　celebration　of　his　hundred…and…eleventhbirthday　（S。R。　1401）。　At　this　point　this　History　begins。　　
At　the　end　of　the　Third　Age　the　part　played　by　the　Hobbits　in　the　greatevents　that　led　to　the　inclusion　of　the　Shire　in　the　Reunited　Kingdom　awakenedamong　them　a　more　widespread　interest　in　their　own　history；　and　many　of　theirtraditions；　up　to　that　time　still　mainly　oral；　were　collected　and　Writtendown。　The　greater　families　were　also　concerned　with　events　in　the　Kingdom　atlarge；　and　many　of　their　members　studied　its　ancient　histories　and　legends。　Bythe　end　of　the　first　century　of　the　Fourth　Age　there　were　already　to　be　foundin　the　Shire　several　libraries　that　contained　many　historical　books　andrecords。　　
The　largest　of　these　collections　were　probably　at　Undertowers；　at　GreatSmials；　and　at　Brandy　Hall。　This　account　of　the　end　of　the　Third　Age　is　drawnmainly　from　the　Red　Book　of　Westmarch。　That　most　important　source　for　the　　
　
history　of　the　War　of　the　Ring　was　so　called　because　it　was　long　preserved　atUndertowers；　the　home　of　the　Fairbairns；　Wardens　of　the　Westmarch。　It　was　inorigin　Bilbo's　private　diary；　which　he　took　with　him　to　Rivendell。　Frodobrought　it　back　to　the　Shire；　together　with　many　loose　leaves　of　notes；　andduring　S。R。　1420…1　he　nearly　filled　its　pages　with　his　account　of　the　War。　Butannexed　to　it　and　preserved　with　it；　probably　m　a　single　red　case；　were　thethree　large　volumes；　bound　in　red　leather；　that　Bilbo　gave　to　him　as　a　partinggift。　To　these　four　volumes　there　was　added　in　Westmarch　a　fifth　containingmentaries；　genealogies；　and　various　other　matter　concerning　the　hobbitmembers　of　the　Fellowship。　
The　original　Red　Book　has　not　been　preserved；　but　many　copies　were　made；　
especially　of　the　first　volume；　for　the　use　of　the　descendants　of　the　childrenof　Master　Samwise。　The　most　important　copy；　however；　has　a　different　history。　
It　was　kept　at　Great　Smials；　but　it　was　written　in　Condor；　probably　at　therequest　of　the　great…grandson　of　Peregrin；　and　pleted　in　S。R。　1592　（F。A。　
172）。　Its　southern　scribe　appended　this　note：　Findegil；　King's　Writer；　
finished　this　work　in　IV　172。　It　is　an　exact　copy　in　all　details　of　theThain's　Book　m　Minas　Tirith。　That　book　was　a　copy；　made　at　the　request　of　KingElessar；　of　the　Red　Book　of　the　Periannath；　and　was　brought　to　him　by　theThain　Peregrin　when　he　retired　to　Gondor　in　IV　64。　
The　Thain's　Book　was　thus　the　first　copy　made　of　the　Red　Book　andcontained　much　that　was　later　omitted　or　lost。　In　Minas　Tirith　it　received　　
much　annotation；　and　many　corrections；　especially　of　names；　words；　andquotations　in　the　Elvish　languages；　and　there　was　added　to　it　an　abbreviatedversion　of　those　parts　of　_The　Tale　of　Aragorn　and　Arwen_　which　lie　outsidethe　account　of　the　War。　The　full　tale　is　stated　to　have　been　written　byBarahir；　grandson　of　the　Steward　Faramir；　some　time　after　the　passing　of　theKing。　But　the　chief　importance　of　Findegil's　copy　is　that　it　alone　containsthe　whole　of　Bilbo's　'Translations　from　the　Elvish'。　These　three　volumes　were　　
found　to　be　a　work　of　great　skill　and　learning　in　which；　between　1403　and1418；　he　had　used　all　the　sources　available　to　him　in　Rivendell；　both　livingand　written。　But　since　they　were　little　used　by　Frodo；　being　almost　entirelyconcerned　with　the　Elder　Days；　no　more　is　said　of　them　here。　
Since　Meriadoc　and　Peregrin　became　the　heads　of　their　great　families；　andat　the　same　time　kept　up　their　connexions　with　Rohan　and　Gondor；　the　librariesat　Bucklebury　and　Tuckborough　contained　much　that　did　not　appear　in　the　RedBook。　In　Brandy　Hall　there　were　many　works　dealing　with　Eriador　and　thehistory　of　Rohan。　Some　of　these　were　posed　or　begun　by　Meriadoc　himself；　
though　in　the　Shire　he　was　chiefly　remembered　for　his　_Herblore　of　the　Shire；_　
and　for　his　_Reckoning　of　Years_　m　which　he　discussed　the　relation　of　thecalendars　of　the　Shire　and　Bree　to　those　of　Rivendell；　Gondor；　and　Rohan。　Healso　wrote　a　short　treatise　on　_Old　Words　and　Names　in　the　Shire；_　havingspecial　interest　in　discovering　the　kinship　with　the　language　of　the　Rohirrimof　such　'shire…words'　as　_mathom_　and　old　elements　in　place　names。　
At　Great　Smials　the　books　were　of　less　interest　to　Shire…folk；　thoughmore　important　for　larger　history。　None　of　them　was　written　by　Peregrin；　buthe　and　his　successors　collected　many　manuscripts　written　by　scribes　of　Gondor：　
mainly　copies　or　summaries　of　histories　or　legends　relating　to　Elendil　and　hisheirs。　Only　here　in　the　Shire　were　to　be　found　extensive　materials　for　thehistory　of　Númenor　and　the　arising　of　Sauron。　It　was　probably　at　Great　Smialsthat　_The　Tale　of　Years_　was　put　together；　with　the　assistance　of　materialcollected　by　Meriadoc。　Though　the　dates　given　are　often　conjectural；　
especially　for　the　Second　Age；　they　deserve　attention。　It　is　probable　thatMeriadoc　obtained　assistance　and　information　from　Rivendell；　which　he　visitedmore　than　once。　There；　though　Elrond　had　departed；　his　sons　long　remained；　
together　with　some　of　the　High…elven　folk。　It　is　said　that　Celeborn　went　todwell　there　after　the　departure　of　Galadriel；　but　there　is　no　record　of　theday　when　at　last　he　sought　the　Grey　Havens；　and　with　him　went　the　last　livingmemory　of　the　Elder　Days　in　Middle…earth。　　
　
THE　FELLOWSHIP　OF　THE　RING　　
_being　the　first　part　of　
The　Lord　of　the　Rings_　　
BOOK　I　　
_Chapter　1_　
A　Long…expected　Party　　
When　Mr。　Bilbo　Baggins　of　Bag　End　announced　that　he　would　shortly　becelebrating　his　eleventy…first　birthday　with　a　party　of　special　magnificence；　
there　was　much　talk　and　excitement　in　Hobbiton。　　
Bilbo　was　very　rich　and　very　peculiar；　and　had　been　the　wonder　of　theShire　for　sixty　years；　ever　since　his　remarkable　disappearance　and　unexpectedreturn。　The　riches　he　had　brought　back　from　his　travels　had　now　bee　a　locallegend；　and　it　was　popularly　believed；　whatever　the　old　folk　might　say；　thatthe　Hill　at　Bag　End　was　full　of　tunnels　stuffed　with　treasure。　And　if　that　wasnot　enough　for　fame；　there　was　also　his　prolonged　vigour　to　marvel　at。　Timewore　on；　but　it　seemed　to　have　little　effect　on　Mr。　Baggins。　At　ninety　he　wasmuch　the　same　as　at　fifty。　At　ninety…nine　they　began　to　call　him　_well_…　
preserved；　but　_unchanged_　would　have　been　nearer　the　mark。　There　were　somethat　shook　their　heads　and　thought　this　was　too　much　of　a　good　thing；　itseemed　unfair　that　anyone　should　possess　（apparently）　perpetual　youth　as　wellas　（reputedly）　inexhaustible　wealth。　
'It　will　have　to　be　paid　for；'　they　said。　'It　isn't　natural；　and　troublewill　e　of　it！'　　
But　so　far　trouble　had　not　e；　and　as　Mr。　Baggins　was　generous　with　hismoney；　most　people　were　willing　to　forgive　him　his　oddities　and　his　goodfortune。　He　remained　on　visiting　terms　with　his　relatives　（except；　of　course；　
the　Sackville…Bagginses）；　and　he　had　many　devoted　admirers　among　the　hobbitsof　poor　and　unimportant　families。　But　he　had　no　close　friends；　until　some　ofhis　younger　cousins　began　to　grow　up。　
The　eldest　of　these；　and　Bilbo's　favourite；　was　young　Frodo　Baggins。　WhenBilbo　was　ninety…nine；　he　adopted　Frodo　as　his　heir；　and　brought　him　to　liveat　Bag　End；　and　the　hopes　of　the　Sackville…Bagginses　were　finally　dashed。　
Bilbo　and　Frodo　happened　to　have　the　same　birthday；　September　22nd。　'You　hadbetter　e　and　live　here；　Frodo　my　lad；'　said　Bilbo　one　day；　'and　then　we　cancelebrate　our　birthday…parties　fortably　together。'　At　that　time　Frodo　wasstill　in　his　_tweens；_　as　the　hobbits　called　the　irresponsible　twentiesbetween　childhood　and　ing　of　age　at　thirty…three。　　
Twelve　more　years　passed。　Each　year　the　Bagginses　had　given　very　livelybined　birthday…parties　at　Bag　End；　but　now　it　was　understood　that　somethingquite　exceptional　was　being　planned　for　that　autumn。　Bilbo　was　going　to　be_eleventy…one；_　111；　a　rather　curious　number　and　a　very　respectable　age