He didn't know how long he had stood there; just as Charles had almost lost feeling in his legs, he saw the Mud Man move.
It stood in front of the Rope People's large net, shouting loudly "Um Ha."
The Rope People started moving too, taking advantage of the blink of an eye of the humans, they released the tied-up crew members, went into the nearby graveyard, and began to re-bury the dirt that Charles and his team had just dug up, with the short Mud Man helping.
The crisis was averted, and the Rope People completely ignored the existence of Charles and the others.
The crew exchanged glances, their expressions oddly changing as they slowly put away their weapons.
No one needed to explain, they all understood that the Rope People had just saved them.
"Tuba," Charles called his navigator.
"I'm here," Tuba, with a newly sprouted tuft of white hair, cheerfully hopped in front of him.
