First, when Prince Prospero summons these healthy and carefree friends to his presence, they go with him to one of his most geographically isolated abbeys in order to escape from the disease and those victims of it. This abbey, designed by the prince, is surrounded by strong stone walls and iron gates, and it seems to be impenetrable. In addition, the guests bring with them hammers and furnaces so that they can weld all the bolts and further fortify the edifice. These people are determined to make it impossible either to come or to go, and so they also stock the abbey with ample provisions -- food, drink, entertainment -- to last quite a long time. In these ways, the narrator tells us, the "courtiers might bid defiance to contagion." Having taken all these precautions, they feel very secure that they are, indeed, safe from the Red Death.
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