He partially solved it by fixing two rests on the ledge to support a rifle in exact line with the center of the enemy's supposed position, and as a variant, on the outer rest he marked lines which corresponded with other sections of the entire front available to the foe.
Even then he was not satisfied.

When time permitted he made many experiments with ropes reeved through the pulley and attached to a rifle action.

He might have succeeded in his main object had not his thoughts taken a new line.

His aim was to achieve some method of opening and closing the breech-block by means of two ropes.

The difficulty was to secure the preliminary and final lateral movement of the lever bolt, but it suddenly occurred to him that if he could manage to convey the impression that Iris and he had left the island, the Dyaks would go away after a fruitless search.