A hobbit is usually fat, half our size, generally good-tempered, and hospitable.  The hobbit this story is about lives at Bag-End, Underhill, Hobbiton.  This particular hobbit is Bilbo Bagins, son of Belladonna Took Bagins and Bungo Bagins.   The Took part of Bilbo was undiscovered and prone to adventure while the predominantly Bagins part of him was respectable and somewhat boring.  Both parts of Bilbo were rich, making him a very affluent hobbit. 

            His hobbit-hole was comfortable and roomy, large enough to fit a crowd as you will later see.  One morning as Bilbo was outside of his comfy hobbit-hole, Gandalf, the wandering wizard, came to chat.  After Gandalf and Bilbo had talked for a while, Bilbo went inside, and Gandalf scratched a secret message onto his door.  The next day at "tea time" dwarves begin to arrive at Bilbo's house.  Dwalin came first followed by his brother Balin.  Next came Kili and Fili, they were soon followed by Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, and Gloin.  The last dwarves to arrive were Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Thorin (grandson of Thror previous great king of Under the Mountain), and behind them stood Gandalf. 

            All that day and night they partied, cleaned up, sung, and discussed their plan.  Their plan was to reclaim their lost gold from Smaug, the evil dragon.  Bilbo decided to come on the adventure as the group's hired burglar.  The group was going to "The Lonely Mountain" where Smaug resided.

             They set out early the next morning on their journey to recapture the gold.  They had to go towards "The Lone Lands" through "The Hobbit Lands".  They journeyed for months until they saw fire in the distance.  So they sent  Bilbo to check it out.  It turned out to be three very mean trolls.  The trolls caught Bilbo and the dwarves when they went to see what  was keeping Bilbo.  And then, Gandalf came and saved them from the trolls.  Then they found stolen gold, silver, and other valuables.  They could not take these with them, so they buried them and placed spells upon them. 

            They soon ran out of food so Gandalf took them to Elrond's house, The Last Homely Home  west of the misty mountains, to stay and rest.   The group stayed for a couple of days, and then they left after Elrond had shown them the moon-letters on the ancient map of Thror.  When they left, their ponies were rested, they had food, and they knew the legends of their swords. The swords names were Orcrist, the goblin cleaver, and Glamdring, the foe- hammer.  No one knew it but Bilbo had also taken a small sword from the trolls treasure trove. 

            Soon they were in the Misty Mountains.  They were camping in a cave  to hide from a storm.  In the night, they were kidnapped by goblins.  Gandalf  killed the goblin with Orcrist, and led his friends away from the goblin town deep in the mountains.  They were once again attacked and Bilbo was knocked unconscious.  When he awoke he wandered around trying to find his friends, but instead he found a golden ring.  Bilbo meandered down to the lair of Gollum.  There Bilbo was cohered into making a deal with Gollum.  They would play a riddling game.  If Gollum won he would eat Bilbo, but if  Bilbo won Gollum would lead him out of the mountain.  Gollum was sure he would win but if he didn't he would eat Bilbo anyway.  Gollum and Bilbo exchanged many a fine riddle each being saved by luck.  Bilbo in an attempt to win muttered to himself  "what have I got in my pocket?".  Gollum demanded three guesses.  His first was hands.  His second was a knife.  And third was his string or nothing.  He was wrong on all three counts.  So he stalled and told Bilbo that he needed something from his house.  He was going to get his ring that turned him invisible.  When Gollum found that his ring was missing he immediately became suspicious of Bilbo.  Gollum was no linger afraid of Bilbo's small sword.  Bilbo slipped the ring on his finger as he started to run from Gollum.  He tried to run faster, but he tripped.  Gollum ran right past him and up the passage way.  He guessed the rings secret so he snuck up behind Gollum.  Gollum went to the entrance thinking Bilbo had gotten past him.  Bilbo dodged him and the guards that were blocking the entrance.  Bilbo noticed that he was on the other side of the mountain so he decided to look for his friends.  Bilbo snuck past his friends and into their circle.  He took off his ring, and everyone held him in high regard for his slyness.  The group traveled on only to be caught up trees by the Wargs, which were evil wolves, and the goblins.  They were saved by giant eagles who carried them far the next day. 

            Soon after that Gandalf took them to Beorn's house.  Beorn could change himself into a bear or a man.  They departed only after basking in his wise wisdom.

             They went through Mirkwood.  At that point, Gandalf left them.  They traveled for many days and "fat" Bombur fell into an enchanted river and was asleep for days.  They traveled of the path when they saw lights in the forest.  They tried to find these lights three times, but every time the lights disappeared.  No one noticed it, but Thorin disappeared and Bilbo wandered away.  The twelve remaining were captured by giant spiders and were about to become lunch.  When Bilbo awoke he was being wrapped by a spider.  He took his sword and killed it.  He then named the sword "Sting".  He found his friends wrapped and suspended in trees in the spider colony.  He lured the spiders away with taunts of attercrop and tomnoddy.  He doubled back and cut down his friends killing many spiders in the process.  He had to tell his friends about the ring in order to save them.  The elf king captured the twelve dwarves and also had Thorin in his dungeon.  Bilbo lived there thieving off them until he and his friends could escape.  He got the keys from the guard.  He snuck them down into a cellar, packed them in barrels, and waited for them to be rolled into the river.  Bilbo clung to a barrel like a drowned dog.

            They came ashore at Lake-town and Bilbo unpacked them.  They told the master that they were coming to reclaim the kingdom Under the Mountain.  So people began to sing the songs of old about the return of king under the mountain.  They were treated with proper respect and grew fat and healthy again.  The town supplied them with provisions and ponies when they left to defeat Smaug.  They couldn't get the secret door open after they climbed the mountain.  Then they finally got it open on Durin's Day. Bilbo went down the passage into Smaug's lair.  He stole a golden cup which infuriated Smaug.   They had to hide in the tunnel so they wouldn't get toasted by Smaug.  Unfortunately they couldn't get the ponies up and he ate them. 

            The next day Bilbo snuck down again for about an hour he talked with Smaug. Everyone went in the tunnel because Bilbo convinced them they were in grave danger.  They talked of many things including the Arkenstone of Thrain, which was Thorin's father. The Arkenstone was a gigantic precious gem.  Then Smaug smashed their little valley to smithereens.

             That night Smaug attacked Lake-town.  Bard wanted to stay and fight, but the master hid in a boat.  Bard and his followers tried to kill Smaug but were unsuccessful.  An old thrush came and landed on Bard's shoulder and told him to shoot Smaug in the hollow of his left breast because it had no protection.  He then killed Smaug.  Lake-town was destroyed when Smaug fell on it and made it sink.  The people hailed Bard as a king.  After a couple of days of waiting in the tunnel they ventured down to check on Smaug.  Bilbo searched the entire cavern for Smaug.  Smaug was gone.  Bilbo found the Arkenstone and slipped it in his pocket.  He had all the others come out and pick their favorite jewels, but Thorin couldn't find his precious Arkenstone.  They put on chain-mail and then they left the chamber. 

            They climbed up the mountain to a look-out point and decided to stay there until Smaug's return.  A very old Raven came to them, and told them that Smaug had been dead for days.  He also said that the lake-men and the woodelfs were marching to capture the treasure.  The group went back to the mountain to prepare for the attack.  They fortified the gate.  Kili and Fili found the three remaining ponies and brought all the stuff back.  They sent Ravens out to Thorin's cousin Dain to send his armies to help them. 

            Twice representatives of the Elven king and the master of the lake-men came to parley and counsel but Thorin sent them away.  The mountain was declared besieged.  After a couple of nights Bilbo took the Arkenstone and gave it to Bard.  So then the Elvin king, Bard, an old man, and seventeen other men went to the mountain to show Thorin they had the Arkenstone.  Bilbo admitted to giving it to them, and Thorin went ballistic.  Gandalf told him not to kill Bilbo so they stayed with elves and the men.  The next day Dain's messengers came, and they talked with Bard.  They went back to Dain and told him to come because a war was starting.  Gandalf told them that the goblins and the Wargs were coming.  This caused them to form an alliance.  The elves, men, and dwarves were winning, then they almost lost but the eagles helped them.  In the end they couldn't have won without Beorn's help.  Bilbo got knocked out just as the eagles were coming, and he was not found until he took off his ring the next day.  He went to Thorin's tent and they reconciled before Thorin died.  Bilbo ended up getting treasure any way. 

            When Bilbo got home his stuff was being auctioned off.  Bilbo became a poet and he was never quite the same hobbit again.

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