some more stones at these, and at others that had stopped behind; then
dancing among the trees he began to sing a song to infuriate them and
bring them all after him,and also to let the dwarves hear his voice.
     This is what he sang:
     “Old fat spider spinning in a tree!
     Old fat spider can’t see me!
     Attercop! Attercop!
     Won’t you stop,
     Stop your spinning and look for me!
     Old Tomnoddy, all big body,
     Old Tomnoddy can’t spy me!
     Attercop! Attercop!
     Down you drop!
     You’ll never catch me up your tree!”
     Not very good perhaps, but then you must remember that he had to make
it up himself, on the spur of a very awkward moment. It did what he
wanted any way. As he sang he threw some more stones and stamped.
Practically all the spiders in the place came after him: some dropped
to the ground, others raced along the branches, swung from tree to
tree, or cast new ropes across the dark spaces. They made for his