I have got a dozen
spare ones with me."
Captain Holland then told Surajah and Dick to take off their upper
garments. These he wound round and round the lower four feet of the
rope, increasing its diameter to over two inches.
"There," he said, as he fastened this round Surajah's body, under the
arms. "It won't hurt you, now. That silk rope would have cut in an
inch deep before you got to the bottom, if it had not been covered."
Then he took off his own garment, made it up into a roll, lashed one
end to the rope in the centre of Surajah's back, passed it between his
legs and fastened it to the knot at his chest.
"There," he said; "that will prevent any possibility of the thing
slipping up over your shoulders, and will take a lot of the strain off
your chest."
Then he lay down and crawled forward to the edge, pegged the cushion
down, and then, turning to Surajah, said:
"All is ready now."
Surajah had felt rather ashamed that all these precautions should be
taken for him, while the others would have to rely solely upon their
hands and feet, and, sternly repressing any sign of nervousness, he
stepped forward to the side of Captain Holland.
"That is right," the captain said approvingly.
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