Now a nasty suspicion began to grow in his mind-had the dwarves forgotten this important point too, or were they laughing in their sleeves at him all the time? That is the effect that dragon-talk has on the inexperienced. He had never bothered to wonder how the treasure was to be removed, certainly never how any part of it that might fall to his share was to be brought back all the way to Bag-End Under-Hill.
thoughts and energies had been concentrated on getting to the Mountain and finding the entrance. You will hardly believe it, but poor Bilbo was really very taken aback. He had a wicked and a wily heart, and he knew his guesses were not far out, though he suspected that the Lake-men were at the back of the plans, and that most of the plunder was meant to stop there in the town by the shore that in his young days had been called Esgaroth. "I don't know if it has occurred to you that, even if you could steal the gold bit by bit-a matter of a hundred years or so - you could not get it very far? Not much use on the mountain-side? Not much use in the forest? Bless me! Had you never thought of the catch? A fourteenth share, I suppose, Or something like it, those were the terms, eh? But what about delivery? What about cartage? What about armed guards and tolls?" And Smaug laughed aloud. In that case you may, perhaps, not altogether waste your time. Lucky Number? I am pleased to hear that you had other business in these parts besides my gold. "Why not say 'us fourteen' and be done with it. "Not gold alone brought us hither." "Ha! Ha! You admit the 'us'," laughed Smaug. "You don't know everything, O Smaug the Mighty," said he. In fact he was in grievous danger of coming under the dragon-spell. Whenever Smaug's roving eye, seeking for him in the shadows, flashed across him, he trembled, and an unaccountable desire seized hold of him to rush out and reveal himself and tell all the truth to Smaug. Bilbo was now beginning to feel really uncomfortable.
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