Beyond the Titanic

In the text game beyond the titanic I can't get past the chasm.I found a walkthrough that says you have to tie the rope to the metal stake and climb down. But whenever I try to do that the game tells me I can't because it's already tied to the flashlight. It also won't let me untie the flashlight or cut it.Am I doing something wrong, or is it a defective game? Thanks.....