His feet were so swollen that it was torture to cover them, and he could not tie the strings; but they must be protected, and he did not rise until they were thus armored.
He was without any weapons, but the torment of his wounds drove that fact from his mind.

All that he wanted now was to get away from the spot where he could not help believing he was still in danger of recapture.
But when he stood erect and the agony shot through his frame, he asked himself whether it was possible to travel to the plateau without help; and yet the effort must be made.
He had a general knowledge of his situation, and, bracing himself for the effort, he began the work.

It was torture from the first, but after taking a few steps his system partly accommodated itself to the requirement and he progressed better than he anticipated.

He was still on the wrong side of the canyon, which it was necessary to leave before rejoining his friends.

He was wise enough to distrust his own capacity after the fearful strain, and did not make the attempt until he found a place where the width was hardly one-half of the extent leaped by him and Jack Dudley.