TERMKS. 
4-15 
almost all the soldiers are retired quite out of 
sight, except here and there one, who saunters 
about among six hundred or a thousand of the 
labourers, but never toiiclies the mortar either to 
lift or carry it; one, in particular, places himself 
close to the wall they are building. This soldier 
will turn himself leisurely on all sides, and every 
now and then, at intervals of a minute or two, lift 
up his head, and with his forceps beat upon the 
building, and make the vibrating noise before 
mentioned; on which immediately a loud hiss, 
which appears to come from all the labourers, 
issues from within side the dome and all the sul>- 
terraneous caverns and passages: that it does 
come from the labourers is very evident, for you 
will see them all hasten at every such signal, re- 
double their pace, and work as fast again. 
“ As the most interesting experiments become 
dull by repetition or continuance, so the uni- 
formity with which this business is carried on, 
though so very wonderful, at last satiates the 
mind. A renewal of the attack, however, instantly 
changes the scene, and gratifies our curiosity still 
more. At every stroke we hear a loud hiss; and 
on the first the labourers run into the many pijies 
and galleries with which the building is perforated, 
which they do so quickly that they seem to vanish, 
for in a few seconds all are gone, and the soldiers 
rush out as numerous and as vindictive as before. 
On finding no enemy they return again leisurely 
into the hill, and very soon after the labourers ap- 
pear loaded as at first, as active and as sedulous. 
