Cutting the rope, Abe fashioned a halter for Sugar-Girl. Then he eased it over her head. She did not like the roughness of the rope and shook her head in frustration. "Easy girl, I know this isn't your fine leather harness, but I need you to work with me." Abe then brought Sugar-Girl near the edge of the porch. By standing on the ledge, Abe was high enough and able to grab a handful of her mane and pull himself onto her back. With difficulty, Abe situated himself because he had never ridden bareback before. Making a clicking sound, Abe nudged Sugar-Girl to start walking. As he moved away from Roy's farm, Abe looked over his shoulder and surveyed the place one more time.
Boredom took over as Roy and Sara paced the tunnel watching the sunlight grow smaller and finally disappear again. Earlier, Roy rescued a shovel from the back of the tunnel and began carefully moving dirt away from the front entrance. As he worked, he could hear the tunnel groaning above his head. Several times, loose material would cascade down and Roy nervously stepped back, waiting. While moving dirt, Roy kept a watchful eye on the ceiling for signs of another collapse.