"TAKE HOLD OF THIS, THEN BEAR YOURSELF UP."
Will struggled a bit.
"But I don't seem able to recover an inch, Frank!" he exclaimed.
"I don't expect you to. Few men could pull themselves out of the clutch of a quicksand bed after getting in as deep as you are. All I want is to keep you from going down any deeper until they come with the rope."
"Oh! I see now. It's a good idea. And then what?" asked Will, cheering up.
"We'll pass it over the limb here, get you to slip the noose under your arms, and on shore all of us pull like fun. If that doesn't move you, then we can hitch old Peter to the rope, and you've just got to come!"
Shouts announced the appearance of the others. Bluff and Jerry were running, the former carrying the needed rope, while in the rear Jed could be heard urging the horse at a rapid rate down the incline.
Under Frank's direction, the rope was made with a noose at the end. Then Bluff crept out and handed it to Frank, relieving him of the suspended coat. Will let go just long enough to place the noose under his arms, though he exclaimed that he had sunk six inches immediately.
Jerry now pulled at the other end of the rope, to hold it taut, while the others were scrambling ashore.