is the nearly universal practice to-day, though some of the more
skillful pueblo carpenters manage to chisel out rectangular holes. The
piercing of the side poles, particularly prevalent in Zuni, has brought
about a curious departure from the ancient practice of removing the
ladder in times of threatened danger. Long rungs are loosely slipped
into the holes in the side pieces, and the security formerly gained by
taking up the entire ladder is now obtained, partially at least, by the
removal of the rungs. The boring of the side pieces and the employment
of loose rungs seriously interferes with the stability of the structure,
as means must be provided to prevent the spreading apart of the side
pieces. The Zuni architect has met this difficulty by prolonging the
poles of the ladder and attaching a cross piece near their upper ends to
hold them together. As a rule this cross piece is provided with a hole
near each end into which the tapering extremities of the poles are
inserted. From their high position near the extremities of the ladders,
seen in silhouette against the sky, they form peculiarly striking
features of Zuni. They are frequently decorated with rude carvings of
terraced notches. Examples of this device may be seen in the views of
Zuni, and several typical specimens are illustrated in detail in Pl.
XCVIII. The use of cross pieces on ladders emerging from roof openings
is not so common as on external ones, as there is not the same necessity
for holding together the poles, the sides of the opening performing that
office.

There are two places in Zuni, portions of the densest house cluster,
where the needs of unusual traffic have been met by the employment of
double ladders, made of three vertical poles, which accommodate two
tiers of rungs. The sticks forming the rungs are inserted in continuous
lengths through all three poles, and the cross pieces at the top are
also continuous, being formed of a single flat piece of wood perforated
by three holes for the reception of the tips of the poles. In additional
to the usual cross pieces pierced for the reception of the side poles
and rudely carved into ornamental forms, many temporary cross pieces are
added during the harvest season in the early autumn to support the
strips of meat and melons, strings of red peppers, and other articles
dried in the open air prior to storage for winter use. At this season
every device that will serve this purpose is employed. Occasionally