This he borrowed, and brought over to the scene of operation.
This ladder was not quite long enough to reach to the height at which Harry had fastened his insulators, but it was generally agreed that there was no real necessity for putting them up so high.
The ladder was arranged by Tony in a very ingenious way.

He laid it on the ground, with the top at the root of the tree to be climbed.

Then he fastened a piece of telegraph wire to one side of the ladder, passed it loosely around the tree, and fastened it to the other side.

Then, as the ladder was gradually raised, the wire slipped along up the tree, and when the ladder was in position it could not fall, although it might shake and totter a little.

However, strong arms at the bottom held it pretty steady, and Harry was enabled to nail on his insulators with comparative ease, and in a very satisfactory manner.
After a while, Tony took his place, and being a fellow whom it was almost impossible to tire, he finished the whole business without assistance.
It may be remarked that when Tony mounted the ladder, he dispensed with the wire safeguard, depending upon the carefulness of the two negro men who held the ladder from below.
The next thing was to put up the wire itself, and this was done in rather a bungling manner, if this wire were compared with that of ordinary telegraph lines.
It was found quite impossible to stretch the wire tightly between the poles, as the necessary appliances were wanting.
Various methods of tightening were tried, but none were very successful; and the wire hung in curves, some greater and some less, between the poles.
But what did it matter?
There was plenty of wire, and the wind had not much chance to blow it about, as it was protected by the neighboring treetops.
There was no trouble in carrying the wire over the creek, as the bridge was very near, and as trees close to each bank had been chosen for poles, and as the creek was not very wide, the wire approached nearer to a straight line where it passed over the water than it did anywhere else.
At last all was finished.