The Shire-folk of Oakenshaw is a Hobbit-style adventure that follows Bungo Boffin, a comfortable and respectable hobbit who loves his garden, his six daily meals, and his peaceful life in the village of Oakenshaw. As the son of Mimosa Took (one of the remarkable Took daughters), Bungo has a trace of adventurous blood in his veins, though he has never shown it—until the wizard Gandalf appears at his round green door.

Gandalf arrives with a proposition: thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, are embarking on a quest to reclaim their homeland, the Lonely Mountain, from the dragon Smaug. They need a hobbit—someone small, quiet, and clever—to serve as their burglar. Despite his protests, Bungo finds himself swept into the adventure after the dwarves eat him out of house and home and he reluctantly agrees to join them.

The company travels east, facing numerous perils. They encounter three stone-trolls and narrowly escape when Gandalf tricks the trolls into staying out past dawn, turning them to stone. They are captured by goblins in the Misty Mountains, and Bungo becomes separated from the group during the escape. Lost and alone, he must rely on his wits to survive.

The adventurers find refuge in Rivendell, the Last Homely House, where the elf-lord Elrond reads their map and reveals moon-letters that show a secret entrance to the Mountain—one that can only be opened on Durin's Day, the dwarves' new year.

Continuing their journey, they cross the Misty Mountains during a terrible storm and survive an avalanche that nearly claims the dwarf Bombur. Bungo's quick thinking saves Bombur's life, earning him new respect from the dwarves.

In Mirkwood, the dark and enchanted forest, Gandalf departs on urgent business, leaving the company to fend for themselves. They cross an enchanted stream, and Bombur falls into an enchanted sleep after drinking its water. Carrying their sleeping companion, they are captured by wood-elves—but Bungo escapes by slipping into the water and hiding in the reeds.

Alone in Mirkwood, Bungo must find a way to rescue his friends. He follows the elves to their underground halls and discovers that the dwarves have been imprisoned. Using his hobbit-cunning and small size, Bungo devises a plan to free them. He steals the keys, releases the dwarves from their cells, and packs them into empty wine barrels that the elves send floating down the Forest River.

The dwarves escape in the barrels, though the journey is rough and uncomfortable. They emerge from Mirkwood and arrive at Lake-town, a human settlement near the Lonely Mountain. There, they are welcomed as heroes, and Thorin announces their quest to reclaim the Mountain.

The company proceeds to the Lonely Mountain, where they find the secret door described on the map. Bungo enters the Mountain alone, coming face-to-face with the dragon Smaug. Using his wits, he flatters the dragon and discovers a weak spot in his armour—a bare patch on his left breast. But Smaug, enraged, deduces that Lake-town has helped the dwarves and flies off to destroy it.

A thrush hears Bungo's account of the weak spot and carries the news to Lake-town, where a brave archer named Bard uses the information to slay the dragon. Meanwhile, the dwarves take possession of the Mountain and its treasure—but their triumph is short-lived. Armies of men and elves arrive, seeking compensation for the destruction of Lake-town and a share of the treasure. Thorin refuses, barricading himself in the Mountain and summoning his kin from the Iron Hills.

War seems inevitable until an even greater threat appears: goblins and wargs, massing for battle. The dwarves, men, and elves unite against the common enemy in the Battle of Five Armies. During the battle, Thorin is mortally wounded, but not before reconciling with Bungo and acknowledging the hobbit's true worth.

Bungo froze. He did not breathe. He did not move. He did not even blink.


The dragon's head rose, his great eyes scanning the hall. They were terrible eyes—golden, with vertical pupils like a cat's, and they missed nothing. They swept across the treasure, across the shadows, across the place where Bungo stood.


"I smell you," said the dragon. His voice was deep and rumbling, like an earthquake given speech. "I smell you, little thief. I smell your fear. Come out, and let me see what manner of creature dares to enter my hall."


The dragon laughed—a horrible, grinding sound. "Very well. If you will not come out, I will find you. I have a nose for these things, you see. I can smell a living thing from a mile away. And you, little thief, are very close indeed."


He began to move, sliding off his mound of gold with a great cascade of coins. Bungo's legs finally obeyed him, and he ran. He ran for the passage, for the dark opening that led to safety. Behind him, he heard the dragon's laughter, and the terrible sound of claws on stone.


He reached the passage and plunged into the darkness. Behind him, he heard the dragon's voice, following him.


"Run, little thief, run! But you cannot escape me. I know your smell now. I will find you, wherever you go. And when I do, I will roast you and eat you and pick my teeth with your bones."


Bungo ran faster. He burst out of the passage and into the open air, where the dwarves waited. They saw his face and knew something had gone terribly wrong.


"The dragon!" he gasped. "He's awake! He's coming!"


Even as he spoke, they heard a roar from inside the Mountain—a roar of rage and fire that shook the very stone. Then a great blast of flame erupted from the door, and they threw themselves down the mountainside, running for their lives.


They did not stop running until they reached the valley below. There, they collapsed, gasping, and looked back at the Mountain.


Smoke was rising from the peak, and they could hear the dragon's voice, still roaring, still promising death. But they were alive. For now, that was enough.


Chapter 15 - Chapter Fifteen: Smaug