Gimli the Dwarf on Uruk-hai 43

The stone walls and wooden gate of Helm’s Deep were all that lay between the defenders and ten thousand bloodthirsty Uruk-hai, intent on smashing their way inside, but these would not hold for long. For the Elf and Dwarf, a little competition proved a welcome diversion from contemplating the impossible odds against which they were set. Legolas armed with his knives and bow, and Gimli with his axes, each sought to outdo his friend in the slaying of the innumerable warriors that hurled themselves against the Deep’s defences.

To their shared surprise, the friends not only survived the night-long battle, but triumphed, thanks to the timely arrival of Gandalf and Éomer’s riders. Morning found Gimli sitting atop a dead enemy, smugly puffing on his pipe, when Legolas approached to boast of his final tally: 42 Uruk-hai. "That’s not bad for a pointy-eared Elvish princeling," Gimli remarked. He himself was sitting pretty on number 43, though Legolas was quick to even the score.