There was a jerk, and then I felt someone was coming up the rope ladder.

The strain was far less than I expected, but the native policeman who came up first did not weigh half so much as an average Englishman.

There were now two of us to hold.

The officer in command of the police came up next, then Norworthy, then a dozen more police.

I explained the situation, and we mounted to the upper level.