“We could fasten it some way and I could shinny down it!” In the excitement Gale barely missed letting go of Jan’s leg.
“Al—all right. We—we’ll try. Pull me back,” Jan ordered.
It was only by a feat of acrobatics, plus expert mountain climbing in which Gale narrowly escaped tumbling into the abyss below that they at last reached the tangled mass of wire.
After testing the wire and finding it devoid of electric current, they untangled it far enough to give Gale support on her way down.
“Now for a good secure hold.” Gale looked about her.
“There’s the very thing!” Jan exclaimed. “A regular thumb of rock reaching up from the ledge.”
After making their way a little farther along the ledge, they found a three-foot column of rock jutting up from the main ledge and really a part of it.
“Fair enough!” Jan exclaimed. “An elephant couldn’t tear that loose. Even I could go down!” she laughed. “Why not let me?”
“No. I’ll go. I want to make sure that I have all the secret parts when you pull it up. Well,” Gale sighed, “Here I go.”
Bracing her feet against the side of the rocky wall and at the same time gripping the cable with both hands, she went hand-over-hand and foot-over-foot down the perpendicular wall until with a low grunt she hit bottom.