Then he became cool again and asked: "Is it possible ?" He recalled that Hank Hazletine had told him he had done it during the daytime, and it must have been somewhere in this neighborhood.

The task would seem easy if the sun were shining, but if it were shining Fred Greenwood would not have been permitted to make the attempt.
He was convinced of another thing: the depth of the canyon had been repeatedly referred to as being a thousand feet, but there were places where it was less than half that extent, and he remembered a depression in the earth, almost directly overhead, which must have lessened the prodigious height found at other points.
Nevertheless, a climb of several hundred feet up the perpendicular side of a canyon or mountain wall is severe work to the most powerful and best trained man, and its formidable nature was proved by the fact that some of the cowmen would not try it by daylight.
Nothing could be clearer than that Motoza had not hesitated to leave his prisoner alone in the cavern for the reason that he was certain he could not effect his escape therefrom.

The last means the youth would think of employing was that of climbing the side; therefore, as Fred reasoned, that was the very means to adopt, and the only one that could possibly succeed.
"I'll try it!" was his conclusion, after a few minutes' thought.
Before setting out on the unparalleled task he fervently asked the help of the only One who could extricate him from his peril.

Then he summoned his strength and courage to the tremendous work.
His dread now was that Motoza would put in an appearance before he was clear of the mouth of the cavern.

Had the lad thought of the daring scheme earlier in the day he would have studied the stupendous stairs upon which all his hopes now rested, but it was too late to think of that.
Reaching upward, he grasped one of the projecting points of rock and drew himself clear of the opening in front of the cavern.