The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Read Free Book Online Page A

he still lived in the light: a ring of gold that made
     its wearer invisible. It was the one thing he loved, his ‘Precious’, and he talked to it, even when it was not with him. For
     he kept it hidden safe in a hole on his island, except when he was hunting or spying on the orcs of the mines.
    Maybe he would have attacked Bilbo at once, if the ring had been on him when they met; but it was not, and the hobbit held
     in his hand an Elvish knife, which served him as a sword. So to gain time Gollum challenged Bilbo to the Riddle-game, saying
     that if he asked a riddle which Bilbo could not guess, then he would kill him and eat him; but if Bilbo defeated him, then
     he would do as Bilbo wished: he would lead him to a way out of the tunnels.
    Since he was lost in the dark without hope, and could neither go on nor back, Bilbo accepted the challenge; and they asked
     one another many riddles. In the end Bilbo won the game, more by luck (as itseemed) than by wits; for he was stumped at last for a riddle to ask, and cried out, as his hand came upon the ring he had
     picked up and forgotten:
What have I got in my pocket?
This Gollum failed to answer, though he demanded three guesses.
    The Authorities, it is true, differ whether this last question was a mere ‘question’ and not a ‘riddle’ according to the strict
     rules of the Game; but all agree that, after accepting it and trying to guess the answer, Gollum was bound by his promise.
     And Bilbo pressed him to keep his word; for the thought came to him that this slimy creature might prove false, even though
     such promises were held sacred, and of old all but the wickedest things feared to break them. But after ages alone in the
     dark Gollum’s heart was black, and treachery was in it. He slipped away, and returned to his island, of which Bilbo knew nothing,
     not far off in the dark water. There, he thought, lay his ring. He was hungry now, and angry, and once his ‘Precious’ was
     with him he would not fear any weapon at all.
    But the ring was not on the island; he had lost it, it was gone. His screech sent a shiver down Bilbo’s back, though he did
     not yet understand what had happened. But Gollum had at last leaped to a guess, too late.
What has it got in its pocketses?
he cried. The light in his eyes was like a green flame as he sped back to murder the hobbit and recover his ‘Precious’. Just
     in time Bilbo saw his peril, and he fled blindly up the passage away from the water; and once more he was saved by his luck.
     For as he ran he put his hand in his pocket, and the ring slipped quietly on to his finger. So it was that Gollum passed him
     without seeing him, and went to guard the way out, lest the ‘thief’ should escape. Warily Bilbo followed him, as he went along,
     cursing, and talking to himself about his ‘Precious’; from which talk at last even Bilbo guessed the truth, and hope came
     to him in the darkness: he himself had found the marvellous ring and a chance of escape from the orcs and from Gollum.
    At length they came to a halt before an unseen opening that led to the lower gates of the mines, on the eastward side of the
     mountains. There Gollum crouched at bay, smelling and listening; and Bilbo was tempted to slay him with his sword. But pity
     stayed him, and though he kept the ring, in which his only hope lay, he would not use it to help him kill the wretched creature
     at a disadvantage. In the end, gathering his courage, he leaped over Gollum in the dark, and fled away down the passage, pursued
     by his enemy’s cries of hate and despair:
Thief, thief! Baggins! We hates it for ever!
    Now it is a curious fact that this is not the story as Bilbo first told it to his companions. To them his account was that
     Gollum had promised to give him a
present
, if he won the game; but when Gollumwent to fetch it from his island he found the treasure was gone: a magic ring, which had been given to him long ago on his
     birthday. Bilbo guessed