As he passed through that apartment in the cave where there were trunks and boxes, it occurred to him to open one of them. He was rather surprised that it should be unlocked, but so it was. It was filled with a miscellaneous assortment of articles, but on top, to his surprise and joy, he recognized the envelope containing the bonds that had been taken from him. If he left the cave he would want these, and therefore he had no hesitation in taking them. He put them in the inside pocket of his vest, and kept on his way. In a short time he reached the spot lighted by the aperture in the roof. The opening was quite large enough for him to get through, but the difficulty was that it was fully fifteen feet above the floor of the cave. Ernest was something of a gymnast, but it was out of his power to reach the opening through which alone he could obtain deliverance. He looked about him to see if there were any articles which he could pile upon one an other so as to attain the aperture. But the cave was quite empty of articles of any description, nor could he find any that he could move in the portions which he had already traversed. It was certainly very aggravating to be so near freedom, and yet unable to obtain it. There just above him he could see the blue sky and the cheerful sunshine, while he was a prisoner in a dark cavern. Was there no way of reaching the opening? he asked himself. If he had to give up hope, he would feel obliged to return the envelope to the box from which he had taken it. Were its loss discovered, he would of course be searched, and kept in stricter seclusion than before. In the room used by the outlaw as a sitting-room--the apartment he had just left--he might be able to find what he needed. But he could not remove anything without being detected, and should he return there he would possibly find Frank awake, which would spoil all. It looked as if he would have to give up the chance that had come to him. In thoughtful mood he walked slowly back. All at once an idea struck him. In the room where the trunks and boxes were stored he had seen a long, stout rope. Could he do anything with it? Looking up at the aperture, he noticed a jagged projection on one side. "If I could attach the rope to that," he reflected, "I could draw myself up hand over hand till I reached the top, and then it would go hard if I didn't get out." With new hope in his heart, he retraced his steps rapidly till he reached the store-room. He knew just where to look for the rope. He examined it carefully, and found it very stout and strong. He took it back with him. Then making a loop at one end, he stood under the opening and threw it up as he would a lasso. He had to try a dozen times before he contrived to circle the projection with the loop. Then pulling it taut, he began to climb hand over hand, as he had many a time done in sport. Now his deliverance depended upon it.