"He is dead then," said Frodo. "I feared it was so." Gimli cast his hood over his face.

Chapter 5: The Bridge of Khazad-dum

The Company of the Ring stood silent beside the tomb of Balin. Frodo thought of Bilbo and his long friendship with the dwarf, and of Balin's visit to the Shire long ago. In that dusty chamber in the mountains it seemed a thousand years ago and on the other side of the world.

At length they stirred and looked up, and began to search for anything that would give them tidings of Balin's fate, or show what had become of his folk. There was another smaller door on the other side of the chamber, under the shaft. By both the doors they could now see that many bones were lying, and among them were broken swords and axe-heads, and cloven shields and helms. Some of the swords were crooked: orc-scimitars with blackened blades.

There were many recesses cut in the rock of the walls, and in them were large iron-bound chests of wood. All had been broken and plundered; but beside the shattered lid of one there lay the remains of a book. It had been slashed and stabbed and partly burned, and it was so stained with black and other dark marks like old blood that little of it could be read. Gandalf lifted it carefully, but the leaves crackled and broke as he laid it on the slab. He pored over it for some time without speaking. Frodo and Gimli standing at his side could see, as he gingerly turned the leaves, that they were written by many different hands, in runes, both of Moria and of Dale, and here and there in Elvish script.

At last Gandalf looked up. "It seems to be a record of the fortunes of Balin's folk," he said. "I guess that it began with their coming to Dimrill Dale nigh on thirty years ago: the pages seem to have numbers referring to the years after their arrival. The top page is markedone - three , so at least two are missing from the beginning. Listen to this!

'We drove out orcs from the great gate and guard- I think; the next word is blurred and burned; probablyroom -we slew many in the bright - I think -sun in the dale. Floi was killed by an arrow. He slew the great . Then there is a blur followed byFloi under grass near Mirror mere . The next line or two I cannot read. Then comesWe have taken the twentyfirst hall of North end to dwell in. There is I cannot read what. Ashaft is mentioned. ThenBalin has set up his seat in the Chamber of Mazarbul ."

"The Chamber of Records," said Gimli. "I guess that is where we now stand."

"Well, I can read no more for a long way," said Gandalf, 'except the wordgold , andDurin's Axe and somethinghelm . ThenBalin is now lord of Moria . That seems to end a chapter. After some stars another hand begins, and I can seewe found truesilver , and later the wordwellforged and then something, I have it!mithril ; and the last two linesOin to seek for the upper armouries of Third Deep , somethinggo westwards , a blur,to Hollin gate."

Gandalf paused and set a few leaves aside. "There are several pages of the same sort, rather hastily written and much damaged, he said; "but I can make little of them in this light. Now there must be a number of leaves missing, because they begin to be numberedfive , the fifth year of the colony, I suppose. Let me see! No, they are too cut and stained; I cannot read them. We might do better in the sunlight. Wait! Here is something: a large bold hand using an Elvish script."

"That would be Ori's hand," said Gimli, looking over the wizard's arm. "He could write well and speedily, and often used the Elvish characters."

"I fear he had ill tidings to record in a fair hand," said Gandalf. "The first clear word issorrow , but the rest of the line is lost, unless it ends inestre . Yes, it must beyestre followed byday being the tenth of novembre Balin lord of Moria fell in Dimrill Dale. He went alone to look in Mirror mere. an orc shot him from behind a stone. we slew the orc, hut many more ... up from east up the Silverlode . The remainder of the page is so blurred that I can hardly make anything out, but I think I can readwe have barred the gates, and thencan hold them long if , and then perhapshorrible andsuffer . Poor Balin! He seems to have kept the title that he took for less than five years. I wonder what happened afterwards; but there is no time to puzzle out the last few pages. Here is the last page of all." He paused and sighed.

"It is grim reading," he said. "I fear their end was cruel. Listen!We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. Frar and Loni and Nali fell there . Then there are four lines smeared so that I can onlyread went 5 days ago . The last linesrun the pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the Water took Oin. We cannot get out. The end comes , and thendrums, drums in the deep. I wonder what that means. The last thing written is in a trailing scrawl of elf-letters:they are coming . There is nothing more." Gandalf paused and stood in silent thought.

A sudden dread and a horror of the chamber fell on the Company. "We cannot get out," muttered Gimli. "It was well for us that the pool had sunk a little, and that the Watcher was sleeping down at the southern end."

Gandalf raised his head and looked round. "They seem to have made a last stand by both doors," he said; 'but there were not many left by that time. So ended the attempt to retake Moria! It was valiant but foolish. The time is not come yet. Now, I fear, we must say farewell to Balin son of Fundin. Here he must lie in the halls of his fathers. We will take this book, the Book of Mazarbul, and look at it more closely later. You had better keep it, Gimli, and take it back to Dain, if you get a chance. It will interest him, though it will grieve him deeply. Come, let us go! The morning is passing."

"Which way shall we go? ' asked Boromir.

"Back to the hall," answered Gandalf. "But our visit to this room has not been in vain. I now know where we are. This must be, as Gimli says, the Chamber of Mazarbul; and the hall must be the twenty-first of the North-end. Therefore we should leave by the eastern arch of the hall, and bear right and south, and go downwards. The Twenty-first Hall should be on the Seventh Level, that is six above the level of the Gates. Come now! Back to the hall! '

Gandalf had hardly spoken these words, when there came a great noise: a rollingBoom that seemed to come from depths far below, and to tremble in the stone at their feet. They sprang towards the door in alarm.Doom, doom it rolled again, as if huge hands were turning the very caverns of Moria into a vast drum. Then there came an echoing blast: a great horn was blown in the hall, and answering horns and harsh cries were heard further off. There was a hurrying sound of many feet.

"They are coming! ' cried Legolas.

"We cannot get out," said Gimli.

"Trapped! ' cried Gandalf. "Why did I delay? Here we are, caught, just as they were before. But I was not here then. We will see what ----"