Oin and Gloin and Don; next On and Nori, Bifur and Bofur; and last
Dwalin and Bombur.” “I’m always last and I don’t like it,” said
Bombur. “It’s somebody else’s turn today.”
     “You should not be so fat. As you are, you must be with the last and
lightest boatload. Don’t start grumbling against orders, or something
bad will happen to you.”
     “There aren’t any oars. How are you going to push the boat back to the
far bank?” asked the hobbit.
     “Give me another length of rope and another hook,” said Fili, and when
they had got it ready, he cast into the darkness ahead and as high as
he could throw it. Since it did not fall down again, they saw that it
must have stuck in the branches. “Get in now,” said Fili, “and one of
you haul on the rope that is stuck in a tree on the other side. One of
the others must keep hold of the hook we used at first, and when we
are safe on the other side he can hook it on, and you can draw the
boat back.”
     In this way they were all soon on the far bank safe across the
enchanted stream. Dwalin had just scrambled out with the coiled rope
on his arm, and Bombur (still grumbling) was getting ready to follow,
when something bad did happen. There was a flying sound of hooves on