the fellowship of the ring-第3章

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　in　a　thickcurling　hair；　much　like　the　hair　of　their　heads；　which　was　monly　brown。　
Thus；　the　only　craft　little　practised　among　them　was　shoe…making；　but　they　hadlong　and　skilful　fingers　and　could　make　many　other　useful　and　ely　things。　
Their　faces　were　as　a　rule　good…natured　rather　than　beautiful；　broad；　bright…　
eyed；　red…cheeked；　with　mouths　apt　to　laughter；　and　to　eating　and　drinking。　
And　laugh　they　did；　and　eat；　and　drink；　often　and　heartily；　being　fond　ofsimple　jests　at　all　times；　and　of　six　meals　a　day　（when　they　could　get　them）。　
They　were　hospitable　and　delighted　in　parties；　and　in　presents；　which　theygave　away　freely　and　eagerly　accepted。　
It　is　plain　indeed　that　in　spite　of　later　estrangement　Hobbits　arerelatives　of　ours：　far　nearer　to　us　than　Elves；　or　even　than　Dwarves。　Of　oldthey　spoke　the　languages　of　Men；　after　their　own　fashion；　and　liked　anddisliked　much　the　same　things　as　Men　did。　But　what　exactly　our　relationship　iscan　no　longer　be　discovered。　The　beginning　of　Hobbits　lies　far　back　in　theElder　Days　that　are　now　lost　and　forgotten。　Only　the　Elves　still　preserve　anyrecords　of　that　vanished　time；　and　their　traditions　are　concerned　almostentirely　with　their　own　history；　in　which　Men　appear　seldom　and　Hobbits　arenot　mentioned　at　all。　Yet　it　is　clear　that　Hobbits　had；　in　fact；　lived　quietlyin　Middle…earth　for　many　long　years　before　other　folk　became　even　aware　ofthem。　And　the　world　being　after　all　full　of　strange　creatures　beyond　count；　
these　little　people　seemed　of　very　little　importance。　But　in　the　days　ofBilbo；　and　of　Frodo　his　heir；　they　suddenly　became；　by　no　wish　of　their　own；　
both　important　and　renowned；　and　troubled　the　counsels　of　the　Wise　and　theGreat。　　
Those　days；　the　Third　Age　of　Middle…earth；　are　now　long　past；　and　theshape　of　all　lands　has　been　changed；　but　the　regions　in　which　Hobbits　thenlived　were　doubtless　the　same　as　those　in　which　they　still　linger：　the　North…　
West　of　the　Old　World；　east　of　the　Sea。　Of　their　original　home　the　Hobbits　inBilbo's　time　preserved　no　knowledge。　A　love　of　learning　（other　thangenealogical　lore）　was　far　from　general　among　them；　but　there　remained　still　afew　in　the　older　families　who　studied　their　own　books；　and　even　gatheredreports　of　old　times　and　distant　lands　from　Elves；　Dwarves；　and　Men。　Their　ownrecords　began　only　after　the　settlement　of　the　Shire；　and　their　most　ancientlegends　hardly　looked　further　back　than　their　Wandering　Days。　It　is　clear；　
nonetheless；　from　these　legends；　and　from　the　evidence　of　their　peculiar　wordsand　customs；　that　like　many　other　folk　Hobbits　had　in　the　distant　past　movedwestward。　Their　earliest　tales　seem　to　glimpse　a　time　when　they　dwelt　in　theupper　vales　of　Anduin；　between　the　eaves　of　Greenwood　the　Great　and　the　MistyMountains。　Why　they　later　undertook　the　hard　and　perilous　crossing　of　themountains　into　Eriador　is　no　longer　certain。　Their　own　accounts　speak　of　themultiplying　of　Men　in　the　land；　and　of　a　shadow　that　fell　on　the　forest；　sothat　it　became　darkened　and　its　new　name　was　Mirkwood。　　
Before　the　crossing　of　the　mountains　the　Hobbits　had　already　beedivided　into　three　somewhat　different　breeds：　Harfoots；　Stoors；　andFallohides。　The　Harfoots　were　browner　of　skin；　smaller；　and　shorter；　and　theywere　beardless　and　bootless；　their　hands　and　feet　were　neat　and　nimble；　andthey　preferred　highlands　and　hillsides。　The　Stoors　were　broader；　heavier　inbuild；　their　feet　and　hands　were　larger；　and　they　preferred　flat　lands　andriversides。　The　Fallohides　were　fairer　of　skin　and　also　of　hair；　and　they　were　　
　
taller　and　slimmer　than　the　others；　they　were　lovers　of　trees　and　ofwoodlands。　　
The　Harfoots　had　much　to　do　with　Dwarves　in　ancient　times；　and　long　livedin　the　foothills　of　the　mountains。　They　moved　westward　early；　and　roamed　overEriador　as　far　as　Weathertop　while　the　others　were　still　in　the　Wilderland。　
They　were　the　most　normal　and　representative　variety　of　Hobbit；　and　far　themost　numerous。　They　were　the　most　inclined　to　settle　in　one　place；　and　longestpreserved　their　ancestral　habit　of　living　in　tunnels　and　holes。　
The　Stoors　lingered　long　by　the　banks　of　the　Great　River　Anduin；　and　wereless　shy　of　Men。　They　came　west　after　the　Harfoots　and　followed　the　course　ofthe　Loudwater　southwards；　and　there　many　of　them　long　dwelt　between　Tharbadand　the　borders　of　Dunland　before　they　moved　north　again。　
The　Fallohides；　the　least　numerous；　were　a　northerly　branch。　They　weremore　friendly　with　Elves　than　the　other　Hobbits　were；　and　had　more　skill　inlanguage　and　song　than　in　handicrafts；　and　of　old　they　preferred　hunting　totilling。　They　crossed　the　mountains　north　of　Rivendell　and　came　down　the　RiverHoarwell。　In　Eriador　they　soon　mingled　with　the　other　kinds　that　had　precededthem；　but　being　somewhat　bolder　and　more　adventurous；　they　were　often　found　asleaders　or　chieftains　among　clans　of　Harfoots　or　Stoors。　Even　in　Bilbo's　timethe　strong　Fallohidish　strain　could　still　be　noted　among　the　greater　families；　
such　as　the　Tooks　and　the　Masters　of　Buckland。　　
In　the　westlands　of　Eriador；　between　the　Misty　Mountains　and　theMountains　of　Lune；　the　Hobbits　found　both　Men　and　Elves。　Indeed；　a　remnantstill　dwelt　there　of　the　Dúnedain；　the　kings　of　Men　that　came　over　the　Sea　outof　Westernesse；　but　they　were　dwindling　fast　and　the　lands　of　their　NorthKingdom　were　falling　far　and　wide　into　waste。　There　was　room　and　to　spare　foriners；　and　ere　long　the　Hobbits　began　to　settle　in　ordered　munities。　
Most　of　their　earlier　settlements　had　long　disappeared　and　been　forgotten　inBilbo's　time；　but　one　of　the　first　to　bee　important　still　endured；　thoughreduced　in　size；　this　was　at　Bree　and　in　the　Chetwood　that　lay　round　about；　
some　forty　miles　east　of　the　Shire。　
It　was　in　these　early　days；　doubtless；　that　the　Hobbits　learned　theirletters　and　began　to　write　after　the　manner　of　the　Dúnedain；　who　had　in　theirturn　long　before　learned　the　art　from　the　Elves。　And　in　those　days　also　theyforgot　whatever　languages　they　had　used　before；　and　spoke　ever　after　themon　Speech；　the　Westron　as　it　was　named；　that　was　current　through　all　thelands　of　the　kings　from　Arnor　to　Gondor；　and　about　all　the　coasts　of　the　Seafrom　Belfalas　to　Lune。　Yet　they　kept　a　few　words　of　their　own；　as　well　astheir　own　names　of　months　and　days；　and　a　great　store　of　personal　names　out　ofthe　past。　
About　this　time　legend　among　the　Hobbits　first　bees　history　with　areckoning　of　years。　For　it　was　in　the　one　thousand　six　hundred　and　first　yearof　the　Third　Age　that　the　Fallohide　brothers；　Marcho　and　Blanco；　set　out　fromBree；　and　having　obtained　permission　from　the　high　king　at　Fornost；　theycrossed　the　brown　river　Baranduin　with　a　great　following　of　Hobbits。　Theypassed　over　the　Bridge　of　Stonebows；　that　had　been　built　in　the　days　of　thepower　of　the　North　Kingdom；　and　they　took　ail　the　land　beyond　to　dwell　in；　
between　the　river　and　the　Far　Downs。　All　that　was　demanded　of　them　was　that　　
they　should　keep　the　Great　Bridge　in　repair；　and　all　other　bridges　and　roads；　
speed　the　king's　messengers；　and　acknowledge　his　lordship。　
Thus　began　the　_Shire…reckoning；_　for　the　year　of　the　crossing　of　theBrandywine　（as　the　Hobbits　turned　the　name）　became　Year　One　of　the　Shire；　andall　later　dates　were　reckoned　from　it。　At　once　the　western　Hobbits　fell　in　　
love　with　their　new　land；　and　they　remained　there；　and　soon　passed　once　moreout　of　the　history　of　Men　and　of　Elves。　While　there　was　still　a　king　they　werein　name　his　subjects；　but　they　were；　in　fact；　ruled　by　their　own　chieftainsand　meddled　not　at　all　with　events　in　the　world　outside。　To　the　last　battle　at　　
Fornost　with　the　Witch…lord　of　Angmar　they　sent　some　bowmen　to　the　aid　of　theking；　or　so　they　maintained；　though　no　tales　of　Men　record　it。　But　in　that　warthe　North　Kingdom　ended；　and　then　the　Hobbits　took　the　land　for　their　own；　and　　
　
they　chose　from　their　own　chiefs　a　Thain　to　hold　the　authority　of　the　kingthat　was　gone。　There　for　a　thousand　years　they　were　little　troubled　by　wars；　
and　they　prospered　and　multiplied　after　the　Dark　Plague　（S。R。　37）　until　thedisaster　of　the　Long　Winter　and　the　famine　that　followed　it。　Many　thousandsthen　perished；　but　the　Days　of　Dearth　（1158…60）　were　at　the　time　of　this　talelong　past　and　the　Hobbits　had　again　bee　ac