Accordingly, at the appointed time, the whole gang of youthful laborers assembled, and eagerly began to remove the stones.

They had not calculated how much toil would be requisite in this important part of their undertaking.
The very first stone which they laid hold of proved so heavy that it almost seemed to be fastened to the ground.

Nothing but Ben Franklin's cheerful and resolute spirit could have induced them to persevere.
Ben, as might be expected, was the soul of the enterprise.

By his mechanical genius, he contrived methods to lighten the labor of transporting the stones, so that one boy, under his directions, would perform as much as half a dozen if left to themselves.

Whenever their spirits flagged he had some joke ready, which seemed to renew their strength, by setting them all into a roar of laughter.