Ere the work had started thoroughly, the engineer was faced with a trouble which he had not anticipated. The men were left to attend to their own desires in the way of provisions. This haphazard arrangement had the inevitable sequel. Some of the men were stricken down with scurvy, and the disease promised to secure a firm hold, when the engineer stepped in with a firm hand. He established a canteen, the contractor of which was compelled to maintain a supply of varied provisions for six months at least, lest the little colony should become isolated by rough weather. A regular varied bill of fare was imposed upon the workmen, who were compelled to purchase their requirements from the canteen. By this firm and timely action the disease was stamped out. The engineer also enforced other stringent regulations in the interests of health. The men were compelled to bathe once a week, and had to turn their sleeping-blankets into the open air every day; while the quarters had to be washed out and the walls given a dressing of limewash at frequent intervals. [Illustration: FITTING THE LANTERN OF LA JUMENT LIGHT.] When the visitor approaches the tower for the first time, he cannot fail to be impressed by its unusual design. It appears as if a former tower of great diameter had been decapitated, and another more slender building placed upon its butt. This is due to the ingenious idea adopted by Reynaud. The lower part of the tower rises like the trunk of a tree from the base, which is a solid plinth, to a height of 39 feet above highest spring-tides. At the top this lower tower is 28 feet in diameter, as compared with 38 feet at the base. Here the butt is levelled off, and from its surface rises the lighthouse proper, in the form of a slightly tapering cone, leaving a narrow gallery around the superimposed structure to serve as a “set-off” and landing or entrance platform. In carrying out his work, Reynaud followed a principle quite divergent from the prevailing practice in lighthouse construction. He did not attach every stone irremovably to its neighbours, but merely made fast the masonry at varying points, where the mass of water might be expected to expend the greater part of its violence. The method he adopted is very simple. Keystones are introduced at selected points in each course, and these are driven up and held tight by granite plugs and wedges. The principle was assailed at the time as being deficient in strength, but no apprehensions ever have arisen concerning the safety of the tower, so that the engineer’s daring ingenuity has been completely justified.