"One," he said softly. There was another knot immediately under the loop he had just untied. It was tougher than the first one, but eventually he made it.
"I think you loosened it a little," Scotty said. "Maybe I can slide a knot over that bolt and pull loose."
Scotty moved away from him, sliding his hands along the rusty frame. The boys worked in silence, Rick tackling his own knots again while Scotty tried to use the rusty bolt as a lever.
Rick had to give up for a while. His hands hurt too much, and he knew that Scotty's must be hurting, too.
"Listen!" Scotty said suddenly.
A car, or a truck, was approaching the town, from the direction of Careless Mesa!
The boys tackled the knots with desperation and suddenly Scotty fell forward as his hands loosened.
Outside, the car braked to a stop. Rick wondered if Mac and Pancho had come to keep a rendezvous? He couldn't get rid of the feeling that those two were involved somehow.
"A few minutes more," Scotty gritted. "The knots are loose." Then, "I got it."
Moving swiftly, Scotty untied his ankles and knelt at Rick's side. Long minutes later Rick felt the ropes fall from his wrists. It didn't take long to get his ankles free, and he stood up, rubbing circulation back into his hands.