Page 113 - Gibson W.B. "The complete guide to knots"

The alarm clock starts to ring, the bal-
loon explodes with a bang. You
finally call for people to remove the
screen or return to the room. When
they do, they find you tied as tightly
as ever. But the balloon is burst, the
alarm clock is still ringing, the water
is gone from the glass and there is a
message written on the pad: "We
were here — The Spooks."
You now have people cut or untie
the ropes to make sure that they are
knotted as tightly as originally, which
makes everything all the more baf-
fling, as it seems impossible that you
could have done the spooky work
without releasing yourself from the
chair. Yet that is precisely what you
do. Or at least partially, as the knots
are never untied.
The moment you are alone, slide ARMS CROSSED THUS
down in the chair, twist to the left
fig. 2
and slide your upper arm, the right,
over your head so that you can come
clear (fig. 4), like skinning away a
tight fitting sweater. You turn about
completely in the process. /*,;•;
&M
Though your wrists are still tied,
you now have enough slack to reach
the table, where you write the mes-
sage, blow up the balloon and drink
the water. You start the alarm clock
ringing, burst the balloon with the
pencil point and reverse your proce-
dure with the ropes, twisting yourself
back up in the chair while pulling
your right arm down over your head
again.

ROPES TIED
IN REAR
fig. 3