He pouted, but almost immediately stopped pulling on the rope. The jewel didn't come out, so the remainder of his contraption didn't start. He relented:
"...Hey, I don't insult you when you're being completely unhelpful on this...But...OK. First you cross..."
Then a big 200-watt grin formed.
"and THEN I pull the rope! If I'm right, the bridge should be just fine do the structural elements the gem supports being filled-in by the cement. Heck, it'll be sturdier!"