[Boromir88]

I liked your post Lalwende. Here is a bit of what I have to add. You mentioned this "hint of danger" and of lots of Foreboding. Not only the Dark Moria side of Foreboding, but a lot of foreboding for the Fellowship as well. We have Gandalf and Boromir get into several small, sort of humorous scraps. Boromir doubting Gandalf, and saying "who will now lead us," Gandalf saying "I will." Also, the whole bit of arguing about even going to Moria. We see Boromir and Gandalf get into disagreements, throughout this chapter, and as I said earlier, it is slightly comedious. Is this a sign of the Gandalf/Denethor debates, I always looked at those slightly comdedious as well. I just sort of read those 2 people's words as being sarcastic. Reminds me of "Romeo and Juliet" at the beginning, when the Montagues and Capulets are using the name "sir" as not something "noble/honorable title" but as a sarcastic mocking.

Then we have Aragorn, speaking as if Gandalf is going to die (which he does). But, even before it happens he says things like...

...He has led us in here against our fears, but he will lead us out again, at whatever cost to himself....

"One of you might have fallen in and still be wondering when you were going to strike the bottom," said Aragorn to Merry. "Let the guide go first, while you have one."

This is no doubt some foreboding evil of what is to become of Gandalf. But, is this Aragorn's gift coming to him? Like, he knows an evil will befall on Gandalf before they leave Moria? Or is this Aragorn giving compliments to Gandalf, like he puts his life in front of ours, and to make use of a good guide?

So far, we have the Fellowship members arguing throughout Caradhras and into Moria, and we have these hints that something ill will happen to Gandalf. It doesn't look good for the Fellowship. Then we have....

Pippin felt curiously attracted by the well.

Here we have the Pippin we all love, the curious Pippin, curiosity killed the cat. Wait, didn't we just have Aragorn speak of Queen Beruthiel's cats?

Then we hear the "tap-toms" and as Gimli puts it "sounds like hammers." More foreboding ill. After their rest, it's not looking good for Gandalf, he stays up on watch through the whole night, so there's no way he's even somewhat refreshed.

For eight dark hours, not counting two brief halts, they marched on; and they met no danger, and heard nothing, and saw nothing but the faint gleam of the wizard's light.

Is this the deep, quiet breath, before the big plunge? I sense an uneasy quietness and so does Frodo.

...Frodo's spirit rose a little; but he still felt opressed, and still at times he heard, or thought he heard, away behind the company and beyond the fall and patter of their feet, a following footstep that was not an echo.