428 
TERMKS. 
great difficulty, and the soldiers can scarce do it 
at all. It is on this account that sometimes a road 
like a ledge is made on the perpendicular side of 
any part of the building within their hill, which 
is flat on the upper surface, and half an inch wide, 
and ascends gradually like a stair-case, or like 
those roads which are cut on the sides of hills and 
mountains, that would otherwise be inaccessible: 
by which, and similar contrivances, they travel 
with great facility to every interior part. 
‘‘ This too is probably the cause of their build- 
ing a kind of bridge of one vast arch, which an- 
swers the purpose of a flight of stairs from the 
floor of the area to some opening on the side of 
one of the columns which support the great arches, 
which must shorten the distance exceedingly to 
those labourers who have the eggs to carry from 
the royal chamber to some of the upper nurseries, 
which in some hills would be four or five feet in 
the straightest line, and much more if carried' 
through all the winding passages which lead 
through the inner chambers and apartments. 
“ I have a memorandum of one of these bridges, 
half an inch broad, a quarter of an inch thick, 
and ten inches long, making the side of an elliptic 
arch of proportionable size; so that it is wonder- 
ful it did not fall over or break by its own weight 
before they got it joined to the side of the column 
above. It was strengthened by a small arch at 
the bottom, and had a hollow or groove all the 
length of the upper surface, either made pur- 
