His movements in turning over had not disturbed his captors.  They were still sleeping profoundly.  From the condition of the fire it was evident they had been sitting by it the greater part of the night and had replenished it at a late hour, else all the coals would have been dead.

Hank lay at the opposite end of the lean-to from Jamie, and Bill in the centre, with their feet toward the fire.  Jamie was lying at the back, his head near Bill’s head and his feet toward the end of the lean-to farthest from Hank.

For several minutes Jamie studied the position of each and the possibilities of working his way out of the lean-to without awakening the men.  Finally he determined to make an attempt to gain his freedom.

Cautiously and as noiselessly as possible he began to wriggle away, inch by inch, from Bill, and toward the fire.  Several times he fancied the men moved restlessly in their sleep, but when he looked toward them they appeared to be still sleeping heavily.  On each occasion, however, he lay still until he became wholly satisfied that he had been mistaken and that they had not been disturbed.

Little by little he edged away until at length he was well outside the lean-to.  His efforts were painful and slow, but in the course of half an hour he was near enough to the end of the log to touch it with his bound feet.  His exertions had set his blood in motion and inspired him with hope of success.

With much care and patience he pushed the stick until he was able to rest the string, where it crossed between his ankles, upon the glowing end.  Drawing his feet as far apart as possible, with all the strength he possessed, he was quickly rewarded by feeling a relaxation, and in a moment his heart leaped with joy.  The string was severed.

Squirming around upon his chest, Jamie arose to a kneeling position, and then stood erect.  So far as his legs were concerned he was free.

Jamie’s first impulse was to run wildly away, but he restrained himself.  Standing over the men he looked down upon them.  Neither had moved, and to all appearances they were sleeping as soundly as ever.

“I’m thinkin’ now I’ll try to burn off the string on my hands too,” he decided. “‘Twill be easier gettin’ on with un free, and I’ll travel a rare lot faster with my arms loose.”

Burning the strings from his wrists, however, proved a much more difficult problem than burning them from his ankles.  He sat down with his back to the hot end of the stick, but discovered that it was no easy matter to find just the right position between the wrists.  Several efforts resulted only in painful burns on his hands, but he was not discouraged, and finally was rewarded.  The string where it crossed between his wrists was brought into contact with the sharp point of the glowing hot stick, and though the reflected heat burned him cruelly he held the string pressed against the fire until at last it crumbled away and his hands flew apart.