Coming to it, Ithiel thrust a piece of flat iron, a foot or more in length, into a crack in this wall, lifted some stone latch within, and pushed, whereon a block of masonry of something more than the height and width of a man, and quite a yard in thickness, swung outwards.

Nehushta passed through the aperture, followed by Ithiel.
"See," he said, loosing his hold of the stone, which without noise instantly closed, so that behind them there appeared to be nothing but a wall, "it is well hung, is it not?
and to come hither without this iron would be dangerous.

Here is the crack where it must be set to lift the latch within." "Whoever lived here guarded their food and water well," answered Nehushta.
Then Ithiel showed her the place.

It was a massive tower of a square of about forty feet, whereof the only doorway, as he told her, had been bricked up many years before to keep the thieves and vagabonds from sheltering there.

In height it must have measured nearly a hundred feet, and its roof had long ago rotted away.