Chapter 21
The sun began to wake from its slumber as we followed the spiders. I could see their tracks clearly now. Add that to the fact their webs were everywhere.
"We are close. These webs are arranged for defense. Quickly!"
We ran as we followed the tracks. I yanked Bilbo back as I saw the spiders. I held my finger to my lips.
"It was a sharp struggle but worth it." said one of the spiders. "What nasty thick skins they have to be sure, but I shall wager there is good juice inside."
"Aye, they shall make fine eating, when they have hung a bit." said another.
"Mind you do not hang them too long," said a third. "They are not as fat as they might be. Been feeding none too well of late, I should guess."
"They are certainly dead now I shall warrant." said the first.
"That they are not! I saw one a-struggling just now. Just coming round again, I should say, after a bee-autiful sleep. I shall show you."
I watched in fear as one of the fat spiders ran along a rope of web until it came to several bundles. I knew these to be our friends. They hung in a row from a high branch. Bilbo and I watched in horror, for our fears had been confirmed when we saw a dwarvish foot peeking out from one of the bundles. Also here and there, there was the tip of a nose or a bit of beard or of a hood.
It was to the fattest of these bundles the spider went.
Oh no Bombur!
I bit my bottom lip to keep from screaming as the spider nipped his nose. I heard a muffled cry and then his toe shot up and kicked the spider straight and hard. There was life in Bombur still! There was a strange noise and the enraged spider fell off the branch. Only just in time to catch itself with a thread.
"The others laughed. "You were quite right!" they said, "the meat is alive and kicking!"
"I shall soon put in an end to that!" hissed the angry spider as it climbed.
"Over my dead body!"
I jumped out and let loose an arrow. The spider fell from the tree with a thud and lay dead on the ground. I saw a small rock fly from thin air and hit another. I looked around for Bilbo but I could not see him. I dare not give him away. Stones started to fly from all directions and hit the spiders. Of they thought it to be me.
"Nasty little elf!" They hissed.
I drew my sword and stood ready to fight.
"If you want me, come and take me!" I hissed.
They came down from their trees and I was soon surrounded. I swung and slashed at them with my sword. Soon I saw Bilbo's little sword, but not Bilbo himself. He had made himself invisible. The clever little hobbit. I had to be careful not to be bitten by the spiders, for their venom would surely drain me of my will to fight. I jumped up as one tried and then brought my sword down upon it. I saw the spiders begin to close off any means of escape with their webs. I heard Bilbo begin to sing.
Old fat spider spinning in a tree!
Old fat spider can't see me!
Attercrop! Attercrop!
Won't you stop,
Stop your spinning and look for me?
Old Tomnoddy, all big body,
Old Tomnoddy can't spy me!
Attercrop! Attercrop!
Down you drop!
You'll never catch me up in your tree!
I smiled at Bilbo's song. The spiders were now frightfully angry! Upon being called Attercrop, and Tomnoddy of course would be insulting to anyone. There was now only one last way to escape. I would not leave without my friends nor would Bilbo.
Lazy Lob and crazy Cob
are weaving webs to wind me.
I am far more sweet then other meat,
but still they cannot find me!
Here am I, naughty little fly;
you are fat and lazy.
You cannot trap me, though you try,
in your cobwebs crazy.
We both turned to find our last way out blocked. However we were lucky, for this web was not done properly. Only great strands of double-thick spider rope run hastily backwards and forwards from trunk to trunk. Out came Bilbo's little sword and he slashed away at the threads until they were in pieces. The spiders saw this, though I do not believe they knew what it was. Some chased down the path while the rest stayed for me. I knew Bilbo had not gone. As I killed the remaining spiders I saw him become visible once more. He had climbed up the tree and snaked his way onto the branch upon which the dwarves hung. A spider had left a rope hanging down for Bilbo to climb up. However there was still one spider atop the tree! It had stayed behind to guard their 'food'. Quickly I notched an arrow and let it fly. The spider fell dead and I knew we had precious little time to free our friends. I saw Bilbo reach the first bundle and cut it through and Fili emerged. Fili got on the branch and did his best to help Bilbo, although I knew he must have been sick from the spider-poison.
Some of the dwarves were worse then Fili had been. They managed to rescue Kili, Bifur, Bofur, Dori and Nori. Poor old Bombur was so exhausted from being constantly pinched and poked- he merely rolled off the branch and onto the ground. Fortunately he fell onto a pile of leaves, and lay there. There were still five dwarves yet hanging. This was when the spiders returned.
"Now we see you, you nasty little creature! We will eat you and your elf-friend and leave your bones and skin hanging on a tree. Ugh! he's got a sting has he? Well, we shall get him all the same, then we shall hang him head downwards for a day or two."
While Bilbo and I fought back the spiders the dwarves were working as fast they could to free the others. Suddenly I saw some of the spiders around Bombur once more. They had tied him up once again and were now dragging him away.
"NO!"
I sprang forward and slashed away at the horrid beasts. I then freed Bombur and continued to protect him from the oncoming spiders. The dwarves still remained in the tree.
"Come down! Come down!" the hobbit shouted to them. " Do not stay up there and be netted!"
I now saw spiders were beginning to climb the neighboring trees. Bombur was now being helped by his cousin Bifur, and cousin Bofur. This allowed me to rush to help Bilbo. The dwarves were jumping, dropping or climbing down. Some of them had knives other sticks and all could get their hands on rocks. Again, and again we beat the spiders back, killing many. And yet I could see Bilbo was growing weary. He was not accustom to long battles, and only four of the dwarves were able to stand firmly, but soon they too would be overpowered. I myself was growing tired. Though I was used to long battles I never before had to protect others. Already the spiders were beginning to weave their webs all around them again from tree to tree. In the end Bilbo let us in on his secret ring.
"I am going to disappear." he said. "I shall draw the spiders off, if I can; and you must keep together and make in the opposite direction. Gilraen shall protect you. To the left there, that is more or less the way towards the place we last saw the elf-fires!"
It was difficult to get them to understand but I had. The spiders were drawing their circle ever closer.
"To me! Follow me!" I cried.
I saw Bilbo slip his ring on and to the great astonishment of the dwarves and myself he was gone.
Soon there came the sound of Bilbo's song. "Lazy Lob" and "Attercrop" from among the trees to the right. Some went off in the other direction. It was then that Balin, who had grasped Bilbo's plan fare better then the others, led an attack. We huddled together in a knot, and sending a shower of stones we drove at the spiders on the left, and burst through the ring. I could no longer hear Bilbo shouting and singing.
I hoped desperately he had not been captured, but I had to lead the dwarves on. However they could only moves so fast, for they were sick and weary. They could not do much better then hobble and wobble, even though the spiders were close behind. I was firing arrows at them but soon I had none left. As I was fighting them back with my sword a web shot down from above and I fell to the ground. My sword fell out of my reach and I had lost my dagger. I struggled against the sticky web that held me.
"Gilraen!"
I looked up and found Gloin running as fast as he could to me. He snatched my sword and slid it to me. I cut the webs and at that moment Bilbo re-appeared.
"Go on! Go on!" he shouted. "I will do the stinging!"
And he did just that. That little hobbit before me had grown. He was no longer the fragile little hobbit he ran out his door and left the comfort of his home. Soon the spider accepted defeat and fled. We now noticed we had come to the edge of the ring at which we saw the elf-fires. At any rate here the light was greener, and the boughs less thick and threatening. We had our chance to rest.
I had no means of healing them from the spider-poison. I did not think we would come across such creatures. Had I known I would have had something. We lay there for some time, well they did. I stood guard in case the spiders thought of trying to attack once more. Soon the dwarves began to ask questions. Bilbo answered all that he could and Balin insisted upon hearing the story of his magic ring. Bilbo told us the tale of a creature called Gollum, and he spoke of their games of riddles and how he had won and escaped the angry clutches of Gollum. He told it again and again. After a time the light began to fail and now there were question of where we were, where the path was and if there was any food. They seemed to expect to receive their answers from Bilbo and myself.
"I cannot find the path in the dark. In fact I know not if I shall be able to find it at all. I have no idea where now we are. I am so sorry." I said.
"The fault is not yours lass. We left the path in the first place." Oin said.
"Aye….to chase a hart. Our hunger blinded us." Dwalin agreed.
I looked over each of them and then my eyes grew wide.
"Where is Thorin!?"