"I have always wanted to take you safely across the mountains," said Gandalf. "Now, through my good management and good luck, we have achieved this goal. Now we are farther than where I originally planned to send you.

The place is far away. After all, this is not my adventure. Before everything is over, there may be a chance for me to intervene; but now, I have more urgent things to do."

The dwarves made a sound full of reluctance, and Bilbo even shed tears.

Who made them firmly believe that Gandalf would go on adventures with them and help them solve all difficulties. "I won't disappear right now," he said, "I can spend an extra day or two with you, maybe

I can help you get out of your current predicament, but I need some help myself. We have no food, no luggage, no mounts, and you don't know where you are.

However, I can tell you the answer to the last question - it is some distance from the road we should take to the north. If it were not for our hasty escape from the mountains, we should have taken that road. There is no one living in this area, unless

After I left a few years ago, new friends moved in; but there was someone I knew who lived not far away. This guy built stone steps on the huge rock. I remember he called it Carlock.

He doesn't come here often, at least not during the day. There's no point in waiting here for him to come. In fact, it will be very dangerous. We have to go find him; if everything goes well, I think that when

I can leave easily, like an eagle wishing you 'good luck wherever you go!'"

All the dwarves begged Gandalf not to leave them. They were willing to share the dragon's treasure and gold with him, but this could not change his decision.

"We will know then, we will know then!" I heard Gandalf say: "I think I have earned some treasures that I deserve. When you find the treasures, remember to share some with me."

After that, they stopped talking.

Then, a group of people took off their clothes and took a refreshing bath in the clear river. Then, they stretched out in the sun and enjoyed the warm sunshine. They felt full of energy, but they still felt a little sore in their bodies and had a stomachache.

A little bit hungry.

Soon, they led the hobbits across the ferry and began to walk along the grass, following the edges of oak trees and tall elm trees.

"Why is this place called Carlock?" Bilbo asked as he walked beside the wizard.

"Because he called this Karok, because he used this word to describe such terrain. He would call similar things Karok, and this is the largest Karok because it is also the closest to his home, and he is very close to it.

Familiar Carlock."

"Who named it? Who is familiar with this thing?"

"That's the guy I was talking about before, a pretty great guy. When I introduce him, you all have to be very polite. I think I should introduce you slowly, two people at a time; you have to be very polite.

Be careful not to annoy him, or God knows what will happen. He is scary when he is angry, but if you can please him, he is also a very generous and good person. I must warn you in particular, he can get angry easily."

As soon as the dwarves heard the wizard speaking to Bilbo like this, they immediately gathered around him. "Are you just talking about the person we are going to see?" they asked: "Can you find other people who will not be so violent? You are not

Can you explain it a little more clearly?" Wait, questions like this.

"Yes, that's true! No, I can't! I'm explaining all this very carefully," the wizard answered three questions at the same time: "If you insist on knowing more, I can tell you that his name is

Be Bion. He is very strong and a skin-changer."

"What! Is that the kind of guy who skins rabbits and sells them for money?" Bilbo asked.

"Oh my God, no, no, no, no!" said Gandalf: "Mr. Baggins, please stop being so stupid. I solemnly warn you that as long as you are within a hundred miles of his house, you will

Never mention such deadly words as fur traders, carpets, skinning, and fur!

He's a skin-changer. He changes skins, and sometimes he's a big black bear, and sometimes he's a strong black-haired man with arms as thick as hams and a thick black beard; that's all I can tell you, this

That should be enough. Some say he is a descendant of the ancient bears who lived in the mountains before the arrival of the giants; others say that he is a descendant of the first humans who took root before Smaug and the other evil dragons came here, even the orcs.

They all came to these mountains from the north later. I am not sure myself, but I think the last guess is more correct. He is not the kind of person who will answer questions patiently."

"Anyway, he was only affected by his own magic. He lived in an oak forest, built a tall wooden house, and raised many cattle, sheep, and horses that looked like humans and were almost as amazing as him.

He didn't eat them, nor did he hunt or prey on wild animals. He kept many nests of ferocious wild bees, and lived mostly on cheese and honey.

I once saw him sitting alone on the carlock at night, watching the moon sink towards the Misty Mountains, and I heard him howling in the language of the bear: 'One day they will be defeated, and I will return!'

That's why I think he comes from the mountains."

Bilbo and the dwarves could not ask any more questions, but they had many doubts to think about. They still had to walk a long distance before reaching his residence.

The group of people climbed up the slope and slowly entered the valley. The weather became very hot, and sometimes they would rest under the trees. Bilbo would feel hungry from time to time, and would look for ripe acorns that had fallen to the ground.

——It’s really uncomfortable to live like this when you can only rely on eating wild fruits to replenish your physical strength.

But what Gandalf said gave everyone hope. Naturally, everyone gradually became able to endure the current miserable life.

By mid-afternoon, they noticed that a large number of flowers appeared nearby. The same kind of flowers grew in the same area, as if they had been deliberately planted.

There are many alfalfa flowers here, including cockscombs, purple alfalfa, and a large area of ​​low white alfalfa flowers. You can smell the sweet nectar from a distance; the wind is full of buzzing sounds, wild bees

Busy at work. Such wild bees! Bilbo had never seen such bees before.

"If one of them had bitten me," he thought, "I would have swelled up to the same fat size as I was before!"

These wild bees are bigger than wasps, the worker bees alone are much bigger than your thumb, and the yellow stripes on their black bellies sparkle like gold.

"We are very near," said Gandalf. "We are at the edge of his bee-field."

After a while, they came to an area made up of very tall and ancient oak trees. In the middle of it, there was a fence made of very tall thorns. People could not climb over it, and they could not see through the scene.

.

"You'd better wait here," the wizard said to the dwarves: "When I shout or whistle, you can start coming in the direction I am walking. You will know how I walk later.

But please come in in pairs, and there must be five minutes between each pair. Bombur is the fattest guy, he can be as good as two by himself, and he'd better come in last. Come on, Baggins.

Sir! There is a gate near here." As soon as he finished speaking, he led the frightened hobbit to find a way near the fence.

They quickly came to a large wooden door. Behind the door, they could see a large garden and many low wooden houses, some with straw roofs and buildings made of stacked logs: barns, stables, animal pens, and

A long row of wooden houses. To the south of the tall fence are rows of beehives with bell-shaped roofs made of straw. Huge wild bees fly around, and the sound of drilling in and out fills the area.

.

The wizard and the hobbit pushed open the heavy door and walked along the wide road towards the main house. Some horses that looked very noble and strong came over and looked at them with expressions that seemed to be very wise, and then they walked away.

Open all four hooves and run to the main house.

"They go to announce the arrival of strangers!" replied Gandalf.

Soon, they arrived at the inner courtyard. Three sides of it were composed of the main house and the wing rooms on both sides of it. In the center was a very tall oak tree with strong branches extending in all directions. Standing next to it was a man with a beard.

He is a tall man with a very thick body. His exposed arms and legs are extremely strong and well muscled.

He was wearing a woolen coat that reached to his knees, leaning on a huge axe. The horse was standing beside him, its nose resting on his shoulder.

"Oh! They are coming!" He said to the horses: "These guys don't look dangerous, you can go!" He laughed boldly, put down his ax and walked over.

"Who are you and what do you want to do?" he asked in a hoarse voice. His tall stature made Gandalf look several inches shorter. Bilbo could even stride forward and pass through the man without lowering his head.

His crotch will not touch his clothes at all.

"I am Gandalf," said the wizard.

"I've never heard of this guy," the man said loudly, "Who is this little guy?" He lowered his head and frowned as he looked at the hobbit.

"This is Mr. Baggins, a hobbit of good family and fame," said Gandalf. Bilbo bowed deeply. He had no hat to salute, and he felt awkward without so many buttons.

"I am a wizard," Gandalf continued: "Although you have not heard of me, I have heard of your name. Perhaps you have heard of my friend Radagast, who lives in the Dark.

The southern border of dense forests?”

"Yes, as far as wizards go, I don't think he's a bad guy. I've seen him often before," Beorn said. "Okay, now I know who you are, or I know who you claim to be."

Yes. What do you want?"

"To be honest, we lost our luggage on the way and almost got lost; we now really need the help of kind-hearted people, or at least some advice. We had a very unhappy time with the orcs in the mountains."

"Orcs?" The big man's voice became less rough: "Oh, ha, so you guys had a conflict with them, right? Why do you want to deal with them?"

"We didn't mean it. They attacked us in the middle of the night. We were originally planning to come to this place from the western land - this has been going on for a long time!"

"Then you'd better come in quickly and tell me about this experience. I hope it won't take a whole day!" The big man led the way into the door leading to the main house in the inner courtyard.

They followed him forward and found that they had entered a wide hall with a fireplace in the center. Although it was hot summer, there was still wood burning in the fireplace, and black smoke floated along the chimney to the roof.

Together they passed the dim hall, illuminated only by the fire and the light coming from the door, passed through another small door, and came to a balcony supported by tree trunks on both sides. This balcony faced the south and was still filled with western lights.

The warm rays of the sinking sun bathed the garden next to the stairs in a golden light.

Everyone sat on a large bench, and Gandalf began to tell the previous story; Bilbo sat on the bench, swaying his little feet, looking at the plants in the garden, thinking about their names. Among these flowers, he probably only

He has only seen half of them, and the rest are completely unfamiliar to him.

"I was preparing to cross the mountain with one or two friends at that time..." the wizard said.

"Two? I can only see this one, and he's a pretty young friend," Bion said.

"Well, to be honest, I don't want too many people to disturb you before I make sure you are very busy. If you allow me, I can invite them in."

"Okay, invite them in!"

So Gandalf blew a long whistle, and Thorin and Dori walked in along the garden path and bowed deeply to them.

"You should say two or three friends, I understand!" Beorn said: "But these are not hobbits, they are dwarves!"

"Thorin Oakenshield is at your disposal! Dori is at your disposal!" The two dwarves bowed again.

"I don't need to send you, you're welcome," Beorn said, "but I think you will need my help. I don't like dwarves very much, but if you are really Thorin (I believe it is Thorin)

Son of Er, son of Thorn), then you are quite worthy of my respect! You are also the sworn enemies of the orcs, and it is impossible for you to do bad things on my land. By the way, what is your mission?

Woolen cloth?"

"They were preparing to visit the land of their ancestors, just east of Mirkwood," Gandalf interjected: "It was a complete accident that we came to your territory. We were preparing to pass the highest pass at that time. Logically speaking, we should be able to
Chapter completed!