setting all the prisoners free as quickly as possible. This sword’s
name was Glamdring the Foe-hammer, if you remember. The goblins just
called it Beater, and hated it worse than Biter if possible. Orcrist,
too, had been saved; for Gandalf had brought it along as well,
snatching it from one of the terrified guards. Gandalf thought of most
things; and though he could not do everything, he could do a great
deal for friends in a tight comer.
     
     “Let me see: one-that’s Thorin; two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten, eleven; where are Fili and Kili? Here they are,
twelve, thirteen-and here’s Mr. Baggins: fourteen! Well, well! it
might be worse, and then again it might be a good deal better. No
ponies, and no food, and no knowing quite where we are, and hordes of
angry goblins just behind! On we go!” On they went. Gandalf was quite
right: they began to hear goblin noises and horrible cries far behind
in the passages they had come through. That sent them on faster than
ever, and as poor Bilbo could not possibly go half as fast-for dwarves
can roll along at a tremendous pace, I can tell you, when they
     Still goblins go faster than dwarves, and these goblins knew the way
better (they had made the paths themselves), and were madly angry; so