Page 491 -- "...as if he were listening, and peering with wide eyes..." Legolas is busy taking some sort of evil-ness reading of Fangorn, because I guess he can do that. Apparently everything checks out. The forest is angry, but not at them. Can't you feel how tense everything is? This forest is giving me a headache. Gimli seems uneasy, while Aragorn is (unsurprisingly) unfazed. Legolas actually seems a little happy, which Gimli assumes is because all elves are weird. Nonetheless, they forge ahead. Aragorn finds footprints near the river which clearly indicate that both Merry and Pippin made it to safety. This is good news...that we already knew. The three hunters proceed deeper into the forest, reaching the rock wall where Merry and Pippin climbed up to meet Treebeard! Yet again, we don't really learn anything new here. Thankfully, this whole search scene for Merry and Pippin was over quickly. Can you imagine how tiresome it would be to rehash each and every one of their steps, having already heard how they escaped? However, we get yet another mention of the mysterious old man today. Gimli brings him up a lot, really pointing out the fact that he's more important than Merry and Pippin. They're fine! Just going off to war... They're about as well equipped as a peanut. But here's a point: Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are running out of food. What good would it be to find Merry and Pippin, only to starve to death? Aragorn says