"Don't worry," Rick whispered fervently. "I will." Silence fell, except for an occasional scrape as they struggled. Rick's arms began to hurt, and his neck felt as though it would never straighten again. Gradually he worked the rope end into reach and began to move it, hoping to loosen the knot. Then there was a soft exclamation of triumph from Scotty. "Are you free?" Rick whispered quickly. "No. But I pulled the rope between my wrists and ankles loose enough so I can move. Just a minute." Scotty got to his knees, balancing precariously. "I'm going to try to slide my hands down the frame to yours." Rick strained his neck trying to see if there were any obstacles in the way, but he could see nothing. Scotty grunted. "I think I'm hung up on a bolt that's sticking through the frame." There was silence for a few moments while the boy struggled. "Made it," he muttered. "The ropes loosened a little." Presently Rick felt Scotty's fingers and moved his own, seeking the ropes around his pal's wrists. He probed, trying to find the key to the knots. Finally, his right forefinger touched a free end, and he followed it into a twist of rope. His first two fingers could just reach the twist, and he set to work on it, moving the rope back and forth, trying to pull on it. Suddenly it gave. "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. Scotty went to the doorway of the old jail and Rick joined him. "See anything?" "No," Scotty whispered. "We'll have to go outside." "We can't go out the front," Rick murmured. "They'd see us. That car stopped right in front. Let's see if there's a back entrance of some kind."