Bilbo and company are travelling through the forest, and they "forget" Beorn and Gandalf's advice while doing so. They ford the river with black water, Bombur falls into it, and Bombur is out cold. The dwarves and Bilbo get captured by BIG spiders, and later, Wood-Elves snatch the dwarves. Later, Bilbo manages to get the guards drunk on a powerful wine, frees the dwarves, and gets them out by stuffing them in empty barrels that will be sent somewhere else down the river. One uncomfortable barrel ride later, Bilbo and company have eluded the Wood-Elves. Those are Chapters 8-9 for you.
Bilbo is still experiencing the "Tests, Enemies, and Allies" stage of the hero's journey. He has managed to slay a giant spider, but physical combat won't defeat all the spiders. His taunting while invisible saves the dwarves' hides- again. Although the journey to the treasure is coming to a close, the tests will keep coming. He also manages to show maturity in that he isn't bailed out by luck every time he gets in a sticky situation.
I really feel sorry for the dwarves! So far, they've been trapped by trolls, held hostage by hobgoblins, been trapped in trees by wolves, snatched by spiders, and now they've been waltzed away by Wood-Elves! It's amazing they're not giving up on their trip. They have to trust Bilbo now, or they'll never accomplish their goal.
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