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15This property of the wood was discovered under the following circumstances. Julius Cæsar, being with his army near the Alps, ordered the towns to supply him with provisions. Among them was a fortress called Larignum, whose inhabitants, trusting to their fortifications, refused to obey the mandate. Cæsar ordered his forces to the spot immediately. In front of the gate of this fortress stood a tower built of this species of timber, of considerable height, and constructed after the manner of a funeral pile, with beams alternately crossing each other at their extremities, so that the besieged might, from its top, annoy the besiegers with darts and stones. It appearing that the persons on the tower had no other arms than darts, which, from their weight, could not be hurled any great distance from the walls, orders were given to convey bundles of fire-wood and torches to the tower, which were quickly executed by the soldiers.
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