Surveyors

Long before sunrise, dozens of heavy supply wagons from the Royal Survey Office rolled across the dark grasslands, their iron-rimmed wheels carving deep, dew-glistening tracks into the thick turf.

On the sweeping ridge where Ernest and his companions had stood the previous afternoon, canvas command tents were erected in neat, disciplined rows. Survey crews unloaded heavy wooden crates containing brass theodolites, spirit levels, steel measuring chains, plane tables, transit poles, and hundreds of wooden stakes painted bright red at their tips.

By the time the first golden rays of sunlight crested the eastern horizon, an army of organized technical labor had spread out across the six-thousand-acre basin.

"Leveling team two, advance another two hundred yards east along the riverbank!"

"Bring the benchmark rod over here!"

"Keep that steel chain taut—no sagging!"

"Drive those corner stakes deeper into the clay!"