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THE ROOM AT THE TONTY
101

the trunk of each figure was cast as part of the column, making an unbreakable, solid piece. The head and hands of each figure, however, moved; and, as Baraka explained, these were the levers which—pulled or pushed—turned one way or the other in a certain order—released a bolt within the column, so that the top plate lifted and the box opened.

Upon the four figures there were, therefore, eight hands and four heads; each head could be moved in four directions and also could be pressed in or pulled out slightly. There were, accordingly, twenty-four different operations possible with the head levers alone. Each hand was also capable of six similar different manipulations, or forty-eight for the hands—a total of seventy-two different manipulations. Of these, eighteen,