The Hobbit

can’t be always carrying burglars on my back,” said Dori, “down tunnels and up trees! What do you think I am? A porter?”
    “He’ll be eaten if we don’t do something,” said Thorin, for there were howls all round them now, getting nearer and nearer. “Dori!” he called, for Dori was lowest down in the easiest tree, “be quick, and give Mr. Baggins
     a hand up!”
    Dori was really a decent fellow in spite of his grumbling. Poor Bilbo could not reach his hand even when he climbed down to
     the bottom branch and hung his arm down as far as ever he could. So Dori actually climbed out of the tree and let Bilbo scramble
     up and stand on his back.
    Just at that moment the wolves trotted howling into the clearing. All of a sudden there were hundreds of eyes looking at them.
     Still Dori did not let Bilbo down. He waited till he had clambered off his shoulders into the branches, and then he jumped
     for the branches himself. Only just in time! A wolf snapped at his cloak as he swung up, and nearly got him. In a minute there
     was a whole pack of them yelping all round the tree and leaping up at the trunk, with eyes blazing and tongues hanging out.
    But even the wild Wargs (for so the evil wolves over the Edge of the Wild were named) cannot climb trees. For a time they
     were safe. Luckily it was warm and not windy. Trees are not very comfortable to sit in for long at any time; but in the cold
     and the wind, with wolves all round below waiting for you, they can be perfectly miserable places.
    This glade in the ring of trees was evidently a meeting-place of the wolves. More and more kept coming in. They left guards
     at the foot of the tree in which Dori and Bilbo were, and then went snuffling about till they had smelt out every tree that
     had anyone in it. These they guarded too, while all the rest (hundreds and hundreds it seemed) went and sat in a great circle in the glade; and in the middle of the circle was a great grey wolf. He spoke to them in the dreadful language
     of the Wargs. Gandalf understood it. Bilbo did not, but it sounded terrible to him, and as if all their talk was about cruel
     and wicked things, as it was. Every now and then all the Wargs in the circle would answer their grey chief all together, and
     their dreadful clamour almost made the hobbit fall out of his pine-tree.
    I will tell you what Gandalf heard, though Bilbo did not understand it. The Wargs and the goblins often helped one another
     in wicked deeds. Goblins do not usually venture very far from their mountains, unless they are driven out and are looking
     for new homes, or are marching to war (which I am glad to say has not happened for a long while). But in those days they sometimes
     used to go on raids, especially to get food or slaves to work for them. Then they often got the Wargs to help and shared the
     plunder with them. Sometimes they rode on wolves like men do on horses. Now it seemed that a great goblin-raid had been planned
     for that very night. The Wargs had come to meet the goblins and the goblins were late. The reason, no doubt, was the death
     of the Great Goblin, and all the excitement caused by the dwarves and Bilbo and the wizard, for whom they were probably still
     hunting.
    In spite of the dangers of this far land bold men had of late been making their way back into it from the South, cutting down
     trees, and building themselves places to live in among the more pleasant woods in the valleys and along the river-shores.
     There were many of them, and they were brave and well-armed, and even the Wargs dared not attack them if there were many together, or in the bright day. But now they had planned
     with the goblins’ help to come by night upon some of the villages nearest the mountains. If their plan had been carried out,
     there would have been none left there next day; all would have been killed except the few the goblins kept from the wolves
     and carried back as prisoners to their caves.
    This was dreadful talk to listen to, not only because of the brave woodmen and their wives and children, but also because
     of the danger which now threatened Gandalf and his friends. The Wargs were angry and puzzled at finding them here in their
     very meeting-place. They thought they were friends of the woodmen, and were come to spy on them, and would take news of their
     plans down into the valleys, and then the goblins and the wolves would have to fight a terrible battle instead of capturing
     prisoners and