While Kili slogged below then in the Ravine, the twelve Dwarves and Bilbo resumed their trek through the mud.
"Care to share a marching song, Mr. Baggins?" asked Ori.
"Oh, we Hobbits are not much for the march. Pick one of your own, and I will follow in." Bilbo offered.
The Dwarves began to sing,
'Twas good to have,
The gold of Erebor,
And all the hoard
in peace to hold.
A waiting fortune,
mem'ries dim,
with passing time,
Now ours to win.
The Line of Durin,
Still unbroken,
leads the journey
with his kin.
Few the words of Thorin spoken:
"Pick up swords for oaths we swore."
"I know no mightier men on middle-earth,
though we be few we'll win this war."
Fili heard Kili's voice become faint. From his vantage above, he could tell that Kili was pulling ahead of them.
"Slow down, brother, save your strength." Fili shouted.
He had been marching beside Thorin, who put a hand in front his nephew, "Do not advise your men to lag. Would you coddle them all?"
The ground ahead of them grew worse, for they had entered marshland.
"We shall have to go around." Thorin told them. "It is not far. We can see the ravine on the other side. Just a few leagues out of our way."
Fili knew they were moving out of earshot, but continued to sing until Thorin bade them all "Stop! They will hear us back at Mirkwood. The worst thing we can do for Kili is to attract attention to ourselves."
The company went silent and glum. They had marched to midday when they stopped to rest the ponies, eat, and plan.
"This marsh has spread with the flood. There is no telling how far around we will have to go." Balin noted.
"We are losing time." Thorin grumbled, "We should see if we can cut through. Ori is the lightest, save for Bilbo. Send him out and see if he sinks."
Ori protested, "I won't be the lightest if my woolens get any wetter. Should we not actually send Bombur? If he does not sink, then a pony would be safe."
"Or send Bilbo." Bofur suggested, "He is the shortest. We need to know his head will remain above water if we cut through the marsh."
Fili grew frustrated with the bickering and debating. "I will go myself. Give me rope so you can pull me back, and a pole to test the ground before me."
He threw off his hood and cloak, and took off his boots. Thorin wanted to object, on the grounds that the best fighter should remain ready for conflict, but he sensed that Fili had endured enough worry to skip this lesson in delegation of authority.
Bilbo collected a bundle of long sticks that Fili could use as markers for the best path. They selected the portion of marsh that looked most shallow, and Fili began his march with rope securing him tightly to the rest of the Company.
The experiment began well enough, with water and mud barely passing Fili's ankles. The ground looked solid through the width of the marsh. Fili had gone over three hundred paces, and his hopes soared just before his feet reached a sinkhole.
The Company on (relatively) dry ground raised a collective shout when Fili's blond head disappeared under water. The pulled quickly, and Fili reappeared.
"Hold!" he called, "I can go around a bit." A few more paces to the left, and the same plunge occurred. His companions pulled him up, only to see him sink again on another attempt.
Thorin sighed and took the lead on the rope. "Come back, Fili. We shall have to go around."
When Fili returned to the edge of the marsh, the company of Dwarves rushed to dry him off and warm him with sherry and blankets.
Thorin comforted him. "Rest for a bit. We will go around, and be on the ridge long before dark."
It was a promise Thorin could not keep. The Dwarves marched through the mud the rest of the day only to arrive on the appointed ridge, exhausted and hungry, well after nightfall.
Fili, Óin, Gloin, and Bofur picked four directions and hooted for Kili, but dared not shout his name. Bilbo and the rest huddle together, while Thorin stood apart, in silence.
They saw no other fires. Had they known to look up, high in the trees, they still would not have seen the watchtower, less than a league East of them. Rhavaniel had already secured the panels for the night while Kili slept, and no light shone through.
"Start a fire." Thorin told them, "Kili is nearby. We will find him at daybreak."
The Dwarves made camp, and ate out of necessity. Though hungry, there was no satisfaction with that meal, as their minds were all on their missing companion.
At dawn, they ate cold leftovers and broke camp quickly, preparing to head East along the ridge, and find the head of the ravine.
They had only just secured the packs and ponies when Bilbo pointed in their planned direction. "Oh look, there's a campfire. That could be Kili's doing."
"That is no campfire!" someone shouted.
Great clouds of black smoke blocked the sunrise - replacing its light with a ring of burning trees.