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"During this passage, Felton related everything to Milady--how, instead of going to London, he had chartered the little vessel; how he had returned; how he had scaled the wall by fastening cramps in the interstices of the stones, as he ascended, to give him foothold; and how, when he had reached the bars, he fastened his ladder. Milady knew the rest. "
Again the translator seems to have made a poor word choice. I find no definition that fits well.
cramp 1
n.
5ME crampe < OFr, bent, twisted < Frank *kramp; akin to MDu & MLowG krampe: for IE base see CRADLE6
1 a sudden, painful, involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles from chill, strain, etc.
2 partial local paralysis, as from excessive use of muscles
3 [usually pl.] abdominal or uterine spasms and pain
vt.
to cause a cramp or cramps in: often in the passive
cramp 2
n.
5MDu krampe, lit., bent in, hence anything bent in; akin to prec.6
1 a metal bar bent to form a right angle at each end, for holding together blocks of stone, timbers, etc.: also called cramp iron
2 a device for clasping or fastening things together; a clamp
3 anything that confines or hampers
4 a cramped condition or part
vt.
1 to fasten with or as with a cramp
2 to confine; hamper; restrain
3 to turn (the front wheels of an automobile, etc.) sharply
adj.
CRAMPED
cramp one‘s style [Slang] to hamper one‘s usual skill or confidence in doing something
Perhaps the mountain climbing device called "piton" would be closer.Except I doubt there was that kind of mountain climbing at the time of the story.
piton
n.,
pl. 3tons# 73t9nz#; 3tbn$8 5Fr < MFr, a spike, pointed object, akin to OIt pizza, a point6 a metal spike with an eye to which a rope can be secured: it is driven into rock or ice for support in mountain climbing
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isn't there a mountain climbing 'bit' called a cramp-on? or is that for ice climing.. (and tree climbing)?
Cramp-on's are worn over your shoes, they have metal points that stick out (on the inside of shoe), and a metal sheild that covers the side of your calf, and that also supports the upper strap that hold the cramp-on on your foot/shoe.
the pointed edge, can be heel kicked into a tree, and allows you to climp up the tree, the same style is used to heel kick into ice when climbing on glaciers.
certainly people have been climbing (and skiing, and farming and herding) in the Alps for ages.. and tools that would help them are nothing new.
i suspect some come from scandinavia, too, people there had to sometimes cross glaciers, or climb on ice .
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Dear of troy: The story seems to say the deluded Felton
climbed up the outside of the castle, with aid of metal
pieces inserted into cracks. I haven't found the French version, so I can't tell the original word. I am using a brand new computer, and am having problems getting used to it.
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1) n :an iron spike attached to the shoe to prevent slipping on ice when walking or climbing
Which allows the ascent of mountains of chopped liver... 
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I was thinking of thin metal wedges, that are wedged into the spaces between stones, and allow you to 'build' a step stairs up the side of a stone face.. they don't get hammered in, the slip in and are held in place by gravity..
(i don't know much about climbing like that, but i remember Clavell, in the story 'ShoGun' has his 'pilot' marvel at one of the Japanese fortresses, since the wall is so smooth, and rocks so carefully cut, you would not be able to scale the walls with...(some sort of climbing equipment)
Thinking about it, even if people didn't go rock climbing for pleasure in the past, i suspect, that anyone who had a skill as doing it, would be a good person to attempt a sneak attach on a castle or fortress. and if people did it, they devised tool and equipment to do it better.
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Mav, i know you posted hours before me, but honest, you post wasn't there when i first opened the page, (not now, earlier)
this time, i raced pasted your post--and only when i was looking again did i notice the number of posts had jumped... so in this case, you really were wearing a mantle of invisiblity! (and not being chopped liver!) Please let me remove it.. (and thanks! i knew there were some sort of things for climbing, that sounded like cramp(on)(oons)cramp somethings!
Oh, that i had a figure like Demi, i'd have you as my Ashton!
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