As the woodland on the south bank of Redwater River was gradually cleared, the days of plowing drew closer and closer.
In order to facilitate the movement of people across the river which spanned nearly 100 meters, Roland had ordered the construction of a floating bridge. It was supported by dozens of timber rafts, which were made by carpenters, bound together by hemp rope. He specifically instructed the carpenters to make sure that the two ends of every raft were sharp so as to reduce the resistance to water impact. On each bank, the ends of the hemp rope were tied around four wooden poles to keep the position of the rafts as stable as possible. Four long wooden planks were placed on every raft to form the deck. They extended two meters off the rafts, such that four people could walk abreast on the bridge.
