"I have it!" murmured Holman. "Wait till he unhooks the bundle."
We let the rope run through our hands till the package of food touched
the rock floor. The line had a small hook upon the end, and the moment
Soma felt that the parcel had reached the bottom of the place, he
dexterously unhooked it with a slight jerk and started to haul in.
"Now!" whispered the youngster. "A big pull! We might bring the nigger
through the hole!"
We went very close to performing the feat. The jolt took the native
unawares; he fell forward on his knees and barely saved himself from
dropping into the opening. The rope came toward us with a run, but as we
pulled furiously it stopped with a sudden jerk, and we knew that the
other end was tied to some projection on the surface.
Leith laughed derisively, and the laugh maddened Holman. He clutched the
rope and started to climb rapidly upward. I couldn't see him, but I felt
his shoes as he wriggled away into the darkness above me, and I held my
breath, I gripped the rope and kept it taut so that Leith and Soma might
not discover the ruse.
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