At one end of the trench, steps were cut out and these formed the entrance and vestibule.

The trench itself was the room, in which the lucky ones, such as the squadron commander, had a board, lying on piles at the end opposite the entrance, to serve as a table.

On each side of the trench, the earth was cut out to a breadth of about two and a half feet, and this did duty for bedsteads and couches.

The roof was so constructed that one could stand up in the middle of the trench and could even sit up on the beds if one drew close to the table.

Denisov, who was living luxuriously because the soldiers of his squadron liked him, had also a board in the roof at the farther end, with a piece of (broken but mended) glass in it for a window.