The six men, all on one side of the stone, united their efforts to raise it to eight or ten inches from the ground, sweating and blowing, whilst a seventh got ready for when there should be daylight enough beneath it to slide in the roller that was to support it.

But the stone had already twice escaped from their hands before gaining a sufficient height for the roller to be introduced.

There can be no doubt that every time the stone escaped them, they bounded quickly backwards, to keep their feet from being crushed by the refalling stone.

Every time, the stone, abandoned by them, sunk deeper into the damp earth, which rendered the operation more and more difficult.

A third effort was followed by no better success, but with progressive discouragement.