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Conversation #1

Shagrat:  Brosh!  Gorbag!  Mash kramp-lat sûr-tul?  Brus-lat taud-ûghû dok?
[Hola! Gorbag! What are you doing up here?  Had enough of war already?]

Gorbag: Ghashan, glob-lat.  Agh mash Shagrat krampat?  Kûbruf fauthug-ob nût-tal?  Uzug skaug-dhu-ob taudat?
[Orders, you lubber.  And what are you doing, Shagrat?  Tired of lurking up here?  Thinking of coming down to fight?]

Shagrat: Ghashan u lat.  Da ghashnug zagh-zab.  Dhlo pukhlat bukoi.  Mol pukhlor lat?
[Orders to you.  I'm in command of this pass.  So speak civil. What's your report?]

Gorbag: Nar.
[Nothing.]

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Conversation #2

Gorbag:  Garn lab bûnur srinukh bag dalug-hai shâtaz Shagrat!  Nar prakh Shelob dak-tala.
[Drat your garbage orders, dung-rabble racket Shagrat!  [We] don't want Shelob us-on.]

Shagrat: Nar, Gorbag!  Latob khlark amub.  Gakhul tarbâmat!  Nar mudhn du obhûd Shelob, da kûz.  Ta duzufa gozad-tala, ozut, agh nar bas.  Lakur gairz-hosh oghûk fil-u-tab skai?  Ta ba-ufa nokhû, thagukû, thag thagukû.  Dhlo gakhul hokarlat.  Agh dak dûrfuf lozudurkh:  brus mûdkul gimbuf Lugbûrz-âr.
[Nar, Gorbag!  Yours make more noise.  Let them frenzy!  No worry for the time being about Shelob, I reckon.  She sat on a nail, it seems, but [we] no cry.   Don't-you-see-that 'gross mess' all-the-way-back  to crack-hers curse-it?  We've stopped it once, ten times, ten times ten.  So let them laugh.  And we have-luck finally:  have something wanted Lugbûrz-for. ]

Gorbag: Lugbûrz prakhat, sha!  Uz-lat mash zab kûl?  Albai uz-da, nan gaz.  Mash bai zab kûl?
[Lugbuurz desires [it], huh!  Think-you what that thing? Elvish think-I, but small.  What danger that thing?]

Shagrat: Nar khatûrz al luk dak.
[No knowing until look-we.]

Gorbag: Pulgat!  Dhlo tak nar shûmb lat mash gimbaklat?  Tak nar shûmb kulûk, bag urbhâru.  Nar akash.  Agh tak ur, yal târulûk.
[Slice it! (Used as an exclamation)  So they not-tell you what to-expect?  They don't tell all, dung piles.  Not half.  But they err, even all-them-high-ones.]

Shagrat: Ssst, Gorbag!  Dûrfituk, agh tab og agh ous koz kulûk; srinuk-dab-ishi azh, pukhl da.  Nan nar hush, mûdkul mudhnat tak.  Nazguul-dhu, shumâbtuk lab; azh Lugbuurz .  Mûdkulgûth lumpufa.
[Sh, Gorbag!  By chance, but their eyes and ears hear all; group-mine-in also, says I.  But no doubt, something troubles them.  Nazguul-down-here are, by-story yours; also Lugbuurz. Something nearly fell [i.e. slipped].]

Gorbag: Gûth, lat pukhl!
[Nearly, you say!]

Shagrat:
[All right, but we'll talk of that later.  Wait till we get to the Under-way.  There's a place there where we can talk a bit, while the lads go on.]

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Conversation #3
Gorbag:
[No, I don't know.  The messages go through quicker than anything could fly, as a rule.  But I don't enquire how it's done.  Safest not to.  Grr!  Those Nazguul give me the creeps. And they skin the body off you as soon as look at you, and leave you all cold in the dark on the other side.  But He likes 'em; they're His favorites nowadays, so it's no use grumbling.  I tell you, it's no game serving down in the city.]

Shagrat:
[You should try being up here with Shelob for company.]

Gorbag:
[I'd like to try somewhere where there's none of 'em. But the war's on now, and when that's over things may be easier.]

Shagrat:
[It's going well, they say.]

Gorbag:
[They would.  We'll see.  But anyway, if it does go well, there should be a lot more room.  What d'you say? -- if we get a chance, you and me'll slip off and set up somewhere on our own with a few trusty lads, somewhere where there's good loot nice and handy, and no big bosses.]

Shagrat:
[Ah!  Like old times.]

Gorbag:
[Yes.  But don't count on it.  I'm not easy in my mind. As I said, the Big Bosses, ay, ay, even the Biggest, can make mistakes.  Something nearly slipped, you say.  I say, something has slipped.  And we've got to look out.  Always the poor Uruks to put slips right, and small thanks.  But don't forget: the enemies don't love us any more than they love Him, and if they get topsides on Him, we're done too.  But see here: when were you ordered out?]

Shagrat:
[About an hour ago, just before you saw us.  A message came: 'Nazguul uneasy.  Spies feared on Stairs.  Double vigilance.  Patrol to head the Stairs.'  I came at once.]

Gorbag:
[Bad business.  See here -- our Silent Watchers were uneasy more than two days ago, that I now.  But my patrol wasn't ordered out for another day, nor any message send to Lugbuurz either: owing to the Great Signal going up, and the High Nazguul going off to the war, and all that.  And then they couldn't get Lugbuurz to pay attention for a good while, I'm told.]

Shagrat:
[The Eyes was busy elsewhere, I suppose.  Big things going on away west, they say.]