into those abominable tunnels to look for him, then drat him, I say.”
     Gandalf answered angrily: “I brought him, and I don’t bring things
that are of no use. Either you help me to look for him, or I go and
leave you here to get out of the mess as best you can yourselves. If
we can only find him again, you will thank me before all is over.
Whatever did you want to go and drop him for, Dori?”
     “You would have dropped him,” said Dori, “if a goblin had suddenly
grabbed your leg from behind in the dark, tripped up your feet, and
kicked you in the back!”
     “Then why didn’t you pick him up again?”
     “Good heavens! Can you ask! Goblins fighting and biting in the dark,
everybody falling over bodies and hitting one another! You nearly
chopped off my head with Glamdring, and Thorin Was stabbing here there
and everywhere with Orcrist. All of a sudden you gave one of your
blinding flashes, and we saw the goblins running back yelping. You
shouted ‘follow me everybody!’ and everybody ought to have followed.
We thought everybody had. There was no time to count, as you know
quite well, till we had dashed through the gate-guards, out of the
lower door, and helter-skelter down here. And here we are-without the
burglar, confusticate him!”