The solution (see here) is straightforward. Carl's wrists are tied loosely together in front of him and his ankles are also tied together in a way that would require someone else to release him. Thus, the three prisoners will be able to untie each other if only their guard can be distracted or knocked out.
Carl gets up and kneels to dig out a stone from under his blanket. The guard questions his action but then digs out the stone with his spear. Carl grasps the stone, stands and knocks out the guard with the stone. The warrior's knife cuts the bonds. That was both plausible and easy.
The guard was right to help Carl and Carl was, unfortunately, right to knock out the guard: necessities of war. Lenard, the enemy prince, who had thought that he and Carl might do mighty things together, will be impressed by Carl's initiative. Lenard, when a prisoner, was rescued but Carl escapes by his own action. The following chapter is headed: "Hero's Reward."
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And, of course the sensible thing for the Lann guard to do would be to summon a fellow warrior to keep an eye on the prisoners while he did this small kindness for Carl. Except, how many of us would have done so? It was so small a matter and the prisoners SEEMED so helpless that many guards would not have bothered calling for a comrade to come over.
Sean
Sean,
Plus all the other Lann were either on guard elsewhere or asleep.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly! I too would probably have thought it perfectly safe to oblige Carl on this small matter.
Sean
Paul and Sean:
Though it isn't exactly apposite, this scene reminded me of a particularly funny moment in the (now-concluded) webcomic Get Medieval. Torquel Hane and some other fellows had been captured by Saracens and chained to a wall. Torquel deliberately dislocated both thumbs to slip his hands from the chains. He couldn't control himself quite enough to keep from screaming as he did, but that worked out fine when a guard came in, demanding to know what the shouting was about.
Torquel pointed with one of the hands that should've been chained and unmistakably wasn't, saying, "It was Sir Edward! He escaped!" The guard, proving that the Saracens were at the time NOT recruiting their best and brightest, turned to look in the direction Torquel pointed, and....
Kaor, DAVID!
I have to admit that, in my bewilderment, I might have been as boneheaded as this Saracen and looked in the wrong direction! (Smiles)
Sean
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