"I--I can't hold on much longer," gasped the unfortunate lad. "Hurry,
Mark!"
"All right. I'm going to haul you up now. Can you hold on with one hand
long enough to slip the loop of this rope over your shoulders?"
"I guess so. But where did you get a rope?"
"I made it--cut up my fur coat."
"But you'll freeze!"
"Oh, I guess not. Here it comes, Jack. Get ready!"
Mark lowered the hide rope to his chum. The latter, who managed to get
one toe on a small, projecting rock, while he held on with his right
hand, used his left to adjust the loop over his shoulders and under his
arms.
"Are you all ready?" asked Mark.
"Yes, but can you pull me up?"
"Sure. I'm six times as strong as when on the earth. Hold steady now,
and keep the torch close to your face."
Mark had placed some pieces of his fur coat under the rope where it
passed over the edge of the mouth of the crater to prevent the jagged
rocks from cutting the strips of hide.
"Here you come!" he cried to Jack, and he began to haul, taking care to
keep his own head near his torch, which was stuck upright.
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