Although Houdel was on the surface, he felt as though he was in a mine shaft.
He could only bury his head and dig a few shovels, then step back a short distance to ensure he wasn't off course, before continuing forward.
The second member of the digging group, Claude, followed about three meters behind Houdel. Compared to Houdel, who could only work on his stomach, Claude's situation was a bit better; he could crouch.
Claude's task was to deepen and widen the shallow trench Houdel "carved" out, which only allowed one person to crawl, to a degree where someone could crouch and walk.
Behind Claude was young Majiya, whose task was to further deepen and widen the trench until it allowed stooped walking.
His work environment was the most comfortable, but his workload was the largest, requiring the most soil to be shoveled.
This "small group digging" model was derived from Richard Mason's summary of experiences and lessons after the siege of Maple Fort.
