Vince was standing beside him. “Can’t make it any steeper,” he said. “It would topple backward.”
“Then Tony will have to try that rope and grappling hook,” Dick said. They stepped forward to the others again.
“Tony, you’ll have to try that rope trick,” Dick said. “But make it as quiet as possible, please. We’ll steady the ladder for you down here, and we’ll even try to catch you if you fall. But take it easy. It will probably take you quite a few tries before you can hook that thing on the edge. We don’t know if it’s big enough to grab hold of that rock at the opening. Maybe you can’t make it at all.”
“I’ll do my best,” Tony said, taking the rope and the hook from Max, who had tied the metal piece to the end of the rope. Tony slung the coil over his shoulder and started up the ladder. Without a sound he slicked up the wobbly steps as if he were sliding, not climbing.
“Look at ’im go,” Max whispered. “He’s a wonder, that guy.”
Dick just looked upward without a word. Then he felt the old man’s hand clutch his arm. Still he did not take his eyes away from Tony.
“Don’t worry, Tomaso,” he said. “Tony will be all right.”
“Yes, Tony is a good boy,” the old man said, and took his hand away.
Tony was near the top now. Dick could see the black blob that was his figure against the wall of the tower. He saw an arm swing outward and heard the clink of metal against stone. It was not as loud a noise as he had thought it would be, and he breathed a little more easily. He watched the arm swing outward again. There was another metallic sound, and this time Dick saw the spark as metal hit stone. It seemed to him, as clearly as he could make out, that Tony had come close that time. But he was hoping so hard that he felt he must be wishing it to catch hold.
Again Tony swung the rope with the big hook on the end. Each time he felt the ladder wobble, each time he grabbed with one hand to steady himself, each time he was sure he was falling. And then, each time, too, he had to dodge that big metal hook that hurtled down at him when it missed catching. He had not only to dodge it, but to try to catch it so it would not clatter against the wall and make too much noise.