"J.R.R. Tolkien - Farmer Giles of Ham" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tolkien J.R.R)

lands belonging to Farmer Giles and to other folk of Ham
and came to parts that the dragon had visited. There were
broken trees, burned hedges and blackened grass, and a
nasty uncanny silence.

The sun was shining bright, and Farmer Giles began to
wish that he dared shed a garment or two; and he
wondered if he had not taken a pint too many. `A nice end
to Christmas and all,' he thought. `And I'll be lucky if it
don't prove the end of me too.' He mopped his face with a large
handkerchief - green, not red; for red rags infuriate dragons, or
so he had, heard tell.

But he did not find the dragon. He rode down many lanes, wide
and narrow, and over other farmers' deserted fields, and still he
did not find the dragon. Garm was, of course, of no use at all. He
kept just behind the mare and refused to use his nose.

They came at last to a winding road that had suffered little
damage and seemed quiet and peaceful. After following it
for half a mile Giles began to wonder whether he had not
done his duty and all that his reputation required. He had
made up his mind that he had looked long and far enough,
and he was just thinking of turning back, and of his dinner,
and of telling his friends that the dragon had seen him com-
ing and simply flown away, when he turned a sharp corner.

There was the dragon, lying half across a broken hedge with his
horrible head in the middle of the road `Help!' said Garin and
bolted. The grey mare sat down plump, and Farmer Giles went
off backwards into a ditch. When he put his head out, there was
the dragon wide awake looking at him.

`Good morning!' said the dragon. `You seem surprised!

'Good morning!' said Giles. `I am that.'

`Excuse me,' said the dragon. He had cocked a very suspicious
ear when he caught the sound of rings jingling, as the farmer
fell. `Excuse my asking, but were you looking for me, by any
chance?'

`No, indeed!' said the farmer. `Who'd a' thought of seeing you
here? I was just going for a ride.'

He scrambled out of the ditch in a hurry and backed away
towards the grey mare. She was now on her feet
again and was nibbling some grass at the wayside, seeming quite
unconcerned.