You stop the girl from trying to climb down the rope, gesturing that you, instead, will rescue the men trapped below. The girl gives you a very skeptical look, but as you seem unwilling to tend to the knot in the wall, she yields and lets you climb down. You have a lot of experience with ropes, and are not concerned with being able to climb up or down silently.
The rope descends to just a few feet above the floor. At the bottom you drop and draw your spear, gutting the lizard guarding the men. To you surprise, it does not simply die, but lets out a howl of pain, alerting the rest of the chamber. The other men have begun climbing the rope, but they are slower and it takes several moments for each one to climb high enough for another to grab on. You stand your ground, guarding the rope as the lizards race forward. The fifth man starts to climb as the first lizard reaches you. You fend it off as yet another dashes in and tries to bite you.
Over and over you hold them off in turn. The last man scampers up the rope and you realize with horror that you cannot hold the lizards off while trying to climb. More and more come at you at once, and you begin to give ground. You're tempted to drop the spear and try to out climb them, but several demonstrate a powerful leap, and you realize they'll pick up off the rope well before you can climb high enough. The rope dangles tantalizingly close, but it cannot save you. You continue to fight more and more of them, losing ground until finally you find yourself backed into a corner.
The lizards eye you from all directions, each one waiting for its chance to strike when you aren't looking. You whip your head back and forth, terrified but refusing to give up without a fight. Then, a mass appears from the back of the crowd. The Big One appears again.
The other lizards back away and part to allow it to come right up to you. You, in your astonishment, forget to even hold up the spear. It moves deliberately, not menacingly, up to your face and stares into your eyes. As it does this, you feel it's hot breath exhale, then its mouth crack open slightly and suck in the air. It's smelling you.
It does this several times. While pinned, a smaller lizard grabs the spear with its mouth and yanks it away from you. Then, satisfied, the Big One turns and begins to walk away. Most of the lizards follow it, though three stay behind, strategically located to kill you if you try to fight your way out. You are now a prisoner.
Several hours go by, during which you eventually sit down, convinced that the guarding lizards won't simply kill you once you drop your guard. Two of them have each closed and eye, and they appear to be going back to a state of half consciousness. But they are still watching you. Each time you shift your weight, all eyes flutter open and focus on you.
After a while a noise at the far end of the cavern distracts the lizards. As they look away, something falls from the ceiling, clattering and landing at your feet. With delight you realize it's your head lamp, and it still works.
You jump to your feet with the torch blazing into the eyes of the lizards. All three race away, howling in pain and fright. You see the rope again. You might be able to climb it before they regroup if you're fast. There's also the large tunnel, where you know you can outrun the ones in the room, but you don't know what's down there.