Riddles in the Dark

           WhenBilboopenedhiseyes,hewonderedifhehad;foritwasjustasdarkaswiththemshut.Noonewasanywherenearhim.Justimaginehisfright!Hecouldhearnothing,seenothing,andhecouldfeelnothingexceptthestoneofthefloor.

           Veryslowlyhegotupandgropedaboutonallfours,tillhetouchedthewallofthetunnel;butneitherupnordownitcouldhefindanything:nothingatall,nosignofgoblins,nosignofdwarves.Hisheadwasswimming,andhewasfarfromcertainevenofthedirectiontheyhadbeengoinginwhenhehadhisfall.Heguessedaswellashecould,andcrawledalongforagoodway,tillsuddenlyhishandmetwhatfeltlikeatinyringofcoldmetallyingonthefloorofthetunnel.Itwasaturningpointinhiscareer,buthedidnotknowit.Heputtheringinhispocketalmostwithoutthinking;certainlyitdidnotseemofanyparticularuseatthemoment.Hedidnotgomuchfurther,butsatdownonthecoldfloorandgavehimselfuptocompletemiserableness,foralongwhile.Hethoughtofhimselffryingbaconandeggsinhisownkitchenathome-forhecouldfeelinsidethatitwashightimeforsomemealorother;butthatonlymadehimmiserabler.

           Hecouldnotthinkwhattodo;norcouldhethinkwhathadhappened;orwhyhehadbeenleftbehind;orwhy,ifhehadbeenleftbehind,thegoblinshadnotcaughthim;orevenwhyhisheadwassosore.Thetruthwashehadbeenlyingquiet,outofsightandoutofmind,inaverydarkcornerforalongwhile.

           Aftersometimehefeltforhispipe.Itwasnotbroken,andthatwassomething.Thenhefeltforhispouch,andtherewassometobaccoinit,andthatwassomethingmore.Thenhefeltformatchesandhecouldnotfindanyatall,andthatshatteredhishopescompletely.Justaswellforhim,asheagreedwhenhecametohissenses.