JRR Tolkien Hobbit
Tolkien J. R. R. hobbit
Hobbit (3)
Hobbit
24 jer (3)
24 (110)
abc.com.pl 9
May Karol Winnetou
Eddings, Dav
www nie com pl 3
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.Where this underground watercourse came forth from the hillsidethere was a water-gate.There the rocky roof came down close to the surfaceof the stream, and from it a portcullis could be dropped right to the bed ofthe river to prevent anyone coming in or out that way.But the portculliswas often open, for a good deal of traffic went out and in by thewater-gate.If anyone had come in that way, he would have found himself in adark rough tunnel leading deep into the heart of the hill; but at one pointwhere it passed under the caves the roof had been cut away and covered withgreat oaken trapdoors.These opened upwards into the king's cellars.Therestood barrels, and barrels, and barrels; for the Wood-elves, and especiallytheir king, were very fond of wine, though no vines grew in those parts.Thewine, and other goods, were brought from far away, from their kinsfolk inthe South, or from the vineyards of Men in distant lands.Hiding behind one of the largest barrels Bilbo discovered the trapdoorsand their use, and lurking there, listening to the talk of the king'sservants, he learned how the wine and other goods came up the rivers, orover land, to the Long Lake.It seemed a town of Men still throve there,built out on bridges far into the water as a protection against enemies ofall sorts, and especially against the dragon of the Mountain.From Lake-townthe barrels were brought up the Forest River.Often they were just tiedtogether like big rafts and poled or rowed up the stream; sometimes theywere loaded on to flat boats.When the barrels were empty the elves cast them through the trapdoors,opened the water-gate, and out the barrels floated on the stream, bobbingalong, until they were carried by the current to a place far down the riverwhere the bank jutted out, near to the very eastern edge of Mirkwood.Therethey were collected and tied together and floated back to Lake-town, whichstood close to the point where the Forest River flowed into the Long Lake.For some time Bilbo sat and thought about this water-gate, and wonderedif it could be used for the escape of his friends, and at last he had thedesperate beginnings of a plan.The evening meal had been taken to the prisoners.The guards weretramping away down the passages taking the torch-light with them and leavingeverything in darkness.Then Bilbo heard the king's butler bidding the chiefof the guards good-night."Now come with me," he said, "and taste the new wine that has just comein.I shall be hard at work tonight clearing the cellars of the empty wood,so let us have a drink first to help the labour.""Very good," laughed the chief of the guards."I'll taste with you, andsee if it is fit for the king's table.There is a feast tonight and it wouldnot do to send up poor stuff!"When he heard this Bilbo was all in a flutter, for he saw that luck waswith him and he had a chance at once to try his desperate plan.He followedthe two elves, until they entered a small cellar and sat down at a table onwhich two large flagons were set.Soon they began to drink and laughmerrily.Luck of an unusual kind was with Bilbo then.It must be potent wineto make a wood-elf drowsy; but this wine, it would seem, was the headyvintage of the great gardens of Dorwinion, not meant for his soldiers or hisservants, but for the king's feasts only, and for smaller bowls, not for thebutler's great flagons.Very soon the chief guard nodded his head, then he laid it on the tableand fell fast asleep.The butler went on talking and laughing to himself fora while without seeming to notice, but soon his head too nodded to thetable, and he fell asleep and snored beside his friend.Then in crept thehobbit.Very soon the chief guard had no keys, but Bilbo was trotting asfast as he could along the passage towards the cells [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
