He was far
from being satisfied, and he inwardly regretted his severity toward the
best of his officers.
The furnace was a roofless inclosure, twenty feet square, built of very
thick walls in solid masonry. At the height of about twenty-five feet
from the ground, on the inside, there were ponderous bars of iron, which
were made to cross each other at right angles, and which fastened in the
walls, forming the bottom of the furnace into which the victims were
thrown from above. Below, in different parts, were appropriate places for
fagots and light combustibles wherewith to heat the furnace. To the lower
story there were eight doors or openings, two on each square, through
which easy access was obtained to the fireplaces. On the outside there
was but one entrance to the top. This was by means of massive stone
steps. The depth from the edge of the furnace to the crossbars below was
fifteen feet, making the whole height, from the ground, forty feet. From
above also, there were steps to descend into the bottom.
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