Tolkien says, “ . . . just when Bilbo felt that he could not lift his hand for a single stroke more, the spiders suddenly gave it up, and followed them no more . . . ” (164). Very relieved and also fatigued the party travels on toward the Lonely Mountains to reclaimwhat is rightfully theirs. The adventures reach their destination and find their way inside. Bilbo starts creeping around and discovers the dragon, Smaug, and his treasure room. Bilbo pilfers one piece of Smaug’s treasure and has ended up making him very acrimonious. This is what has caused the last tribulation of the novel to take place. Smaug is enraged and has decided to take out his wrath on the town of Esgaroth. While the people in the town are going about their normal evening Bard, the captain of the guard, sees the great dragon approaching the town. Bard yells, “The dragon is coming or I am a fool!” (Tolkien 246). The town people have gone into apanic and rush to boats so they can try and elude the frenzy of the dragon. Bard and his men have shot off arrow after arrow attempting to pierce through the dragon’s tough hide. The dragon, not caring about the arrows, flies right into the line of fire and uses his awful breath weapon to set the town aflame. As Tolkien describes, “Flames unquenchable sprang high into the night . . . and still no arrow hindered Smaug or hurt him more than a fly from the marshes.”(247). All the town’s people have left except for Bard and his archers. Bard is down to his lastresort, a special black arrow. Bard fits the arrow into his bow and aims it at the dragon’s heart. As the dragon soars above the town Bard lets his arrow fly. The arrow speeding straight and true, vanishes into the dragon’s chest. Then the dragon “ . . . shot spouting into the air, turned over and crashed down from on high in ruin.” (Tolkien 249). The dragon is finally dead and th...
