Page 134 - The Hobbit

very well at first, but he was given away in the end by his wet footsteps and the

trail of drippings that he left wherever he went or sat; and also he began to snivel,
and wherever he tried to hide he was found out by the terrific explosions of his
suppressed sneezes. Very soon there was a fine commotion in the village by the

riverside; but Bilbo escaped into the woods carrying a loaf and a leather bottle of
wine and a pie that did not belong to him. The rest of the night he had to pass wet
as he was and far from a fire, but the bottle helped him to do that, and he actually
dozed a little on some dry leaves, even though the year was getting late and the air

was chilly.
He woke again with a specially loud sneeze. It was already grey morning, and
there was a merry racket down by the river. They were making up a raft of barrels,

and the raft-elves would soon be steering it off down the stream to Lake-town.
Bilbo sneezed again. He was no longer dripping but he felt cold all over. He
scrambled down as fast as his stiff legs would take him and managed just in time
to get on to the mass of casks without being noticed in the general bustle. Luckily

there was no sun at the time to cast an awkward shadow, and for a mercy he did
not sneeze again for a good while.
There was a mighty pushing of poles. The elves that were standing in the

shallow .water heaved and shoved. The barrels now all lashed together creaked
and fretted. .
"This is a heavy load!" some grumbled. "They float too deep-some of these are
never empty. If they had come ashore in the daylight, we might have had a look

inside," they said.
"No time now!" cried the raftman. "Shove off!"
And off they went at last, slowly at first, until they had passed the point of rock
where other elves stood to fend them off with poles, and then quicker and quicker

as they caught the main stream and went sailing away down, down towards the
Lake.
They had escaped the dungeons of the king and were through the wood, but
whether alive or dead still remains to be seen.