68 MILITARY SCIENCES. 



is grasped by the hands, one above the other, and at the same time between 

 the calf of one leg and the shin-bone and ankle joint of the other. The 

 beam elevated on posts is crossed by the climber, either sitting upon it, as 

 on a horse {fig. 28), or crosswise {fig. 30), and moving forwards by the 

 use of one or both hands ; in this exercise the climber has two ropes, 

 fastened to rings on a girdle round his waist and passing on each side of the 

 beam to the ground, where they are held by two men, to support him in 

 case he loses his balance {figs. 29, 31). These exercises can also be made 

 hanging, or in other positions, as for example in fig. 38. Climbing on a 

 ladder with movable rungs is a peculiar exercise. The ladder {fig. 20) 

 consists of two ladder rails, which are grooved on the inner side, so that 

 the rungs can be shoved up and down between the two rails ; in the middle 

 hangs a rope passing through holes in the rungs and having a knot for each 

 rung to rest upon : the climber clasps the ladder-rails with his arms, and 

 ascends the rungs with his feet by their assistance. The common ladder 

 is mounted while standing obliquely, at first with both hands, then with the 

 face turned outwards and the hands resting on the ladder behind the back, 

 then only one hand is used, while something is carried in the other, and 

 finally the ladder is ascended and descended without the use of the hands 

 at all {pi. 26, figs. 13, 23). In this assistants are required at first {figs. 14 

 and 22), who keep hold of a rope, which passes over a roller and is fastened 

 to the waist of the climber, before or behind, to preserve his equilibrium. 

 These exercises can be variously modified ; as, for instance, by two persons 

 passing each other on the ladder ; by ascending on the front and descend- 

 ing on the back ; by overreaching one rung ; by ascending and descending 

 on the inside, and at last with the hands alone, the body hanging free in the 

 air {fig. 25) ; or with hands and feet on the same rung at once (jumping). 

 In all these last exercises an assistant is required at first {fig. 27), with a rope, 

 which sustains in part the weight of the body, until the muscles of the arms 

 have attained the necessary strength. To this class belongs also the mounting 

 and descending a ladder carrying a load on the back and without the use of 

 the hands {fig. 24) with the aid of an assistant {fig. 26). The last of the climb- 

 ing exercises is mounting the perpendicular ladder {fig. 21) and descending 

 on the other side, after passing round the ladder-rail at the top ; this may be 

 done also with the hands alone, after sufficient practice. The next exercise 

 is climbing a wall by means of small orifices made for the purpose. In a wall 

 openings are made six inches long and four high, and from six to eight inches 

 distant from each other ; the climber places his hands and feet in these alter- 

 nately, and thus mounts or descends the w^ail {fig. 40 g). To these exercises 

 belongs also the mounting a wall by means of the pyramid ; the representa- 

 tion of this in^^. 8 explains, better than words, how, by means of a pyramid 

 of twelve persons, the thirteenth is brought in position to surmount the 

 upper angle of a wall from twenty to twenty-two feet high ; if the wall 

 is lower then two, six, or more men are sufficient, as shown in^^. 40 e,f. 

 It is necessary always to take care that in the lower stages only the strong- 

 est men are placed. Fig. 40 shows the various applications of exercises in 

 climbing to passing rivers and mounting walls. Narrow ditches are over- 

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