Summary

Sam is very hungry and is worried about the thinness of his master, so he asks Gollum to hunt for some food. Gollum brings back rabbits. Sam prepares a small fire to cook the rabbits because he refuses to eat them raw as Gollum does. Gollum believes it is dangerous to build a fire, but Sam promises to keep a watch on it and keep it from smoking. He makes a rabbit stew and he and Frodo eat their first real meal in weeks. Sam goes to wash his pots in the stream and sees smoke from his fire he forgot to put out. He runs to put it out. The two hobbits hide in a bed of fern as they hear voices approaching. Four men surround them. Frodo and Sam stand back to back with swords ready. They are relieved to find that the...