p no more. Thou shalt get away
from here even if thou canst not climb; I myself will help thee. Thy
father is already waiting below the window here, and thou shalt soon be
with him. There, there, cry no more."

While he was speaking Hans had stripped off his peddler's leathern
jacket, and there, around his body, was wrapped coil after coil of stout
hempen rope tied in knots at short distances. He began unwinding the
rope, and when he had done he was as thin as ever he had been before.
Next he drew from the pouch that hung at his side a ball of fine cord
and a leaden weight pierced by a hole, both of which he had brought with
him for the use to which he now put them. He tied the lead to the end of
the cord, then whirling the weight above his head, he flung it up toward
the window high above. Twice the piece of lead fell back again into the
room; the third time it flew out between the iron bars carrying the cord
with it. Hans held the ball in his hand and paid out the string as the
weight carried it downward toward the ground beneath. Suddenly the cord
stopped running. Hans jerked it and shook it, but it moved no farther.
"Pray heaven, little child," said he, "that it hath reached the ground,
for if it hath not we are certainly lost."

"I do pray," said Otto, and he bowed his head.

Then, as though in answer to his prayer, there came a twitch upon the
cord.

"See," said Hans, "they have heard thee up above in heaven; it was thy
father who did that." Quickly and deftly he tied the cord to the end of
the knotted rope; then he gave an answering jerk upon the string. The
next moment the rope was drawn up to the window and down the outside by
those below. Otto lay watching the rope as it crawled up to the window
and out into the night like a great snake, while One-eyed Hans held the
other end lest it should be drawn too far. At last it stopped. "Good,"
muttered Hans, as though to himself. "The rope is long enough."

He waited for a few minutes and then, drawing upon the rope and finding
that it was held from below, he spat upon his hands and began slowly
climbing up to the window above. Winding his arm around the iron bars of
the grating that guarded it, he thrust his hand into the pouch that hung
by his side, and drawing forth a file, fell to work cutting through all
that now lay between Otto and liberty.

It was slow, slow work, and it seemed to Otto as though Hans would never
finish his task, as lying upon his hard co