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Anledningen till deras väg till berget ges i boken, i kapitlet Queer Lodgings , medan man diskuterar rutten genom Mirkwood:
"Do we really have to go through?" groaned the hobbit.
"Yes, you do!" said the wizard, "if you want to get to the other side. You must either go through or give up your quest. And I am not going to allow you to back out now, Mr. Baggins. I am ashamed of you for thinking of it. You have got to look after all these dwarves for me," he laughed. "No! no!" said Bilbo. "I didn't mean that. I meant, is there no way round?"
"There is, if you care to go two hundred miles or so out of your way north, and twice that south. But you wouldn't get a safe path even then. There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go. Before you could get round Mirkwood in the North you would be right among the slopes of the Grey Mountains, and they are simply stiff with goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs of the worst description. Before you could get round it in the South, you would get into the land of the Necromancer; and even you, Bilbo, won't need me to tell you tales of that black sorcerer. I don't advise you to go anywhere near the places overlooked by his dark tower! Stick to the forest-track, keep your spirits up, hope for the best, and with a tremendous slice of luck you may come out one day and see the Long Marshes lying below you, and beyond them, high in the East, the Lonely Mountain where dear old Smaug lives, though I hope he is not expecting you."
Ingenting dumt om det sättet; Det var medvetet valt att undvika ännu värre problem.
För vägen tillbaka hade inte bara draken besegrats, men det hade också Orc-armén, och Necromancer hade också drivits från hans lair. Det måste räkna med något när det gäller att göra resan lättare. Dessutom hade Bilbo företag - kraftfullt företag. Trots det har han gjort ytterligare äventyr (och problem) på vägen tillbaka, som helt enkelt inte registreras:
He had many hardships and adventures before he got back. The Wild was still the Wild, and there were many other things in it in those days besides goblins; but he was well guided and well guarded - the wizard was with him, and Beorn for much of the way - and he was never in great danger again.
( Återresa )