National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2 |
CHAPTER L
RUINS EN ROUTE TO TUN-HUANG
A NUMBER of archaeological indications rapidly gathered in
the course of that first day convinced me that the ruins I
had passed, and those to be expected in continuation
eastwards, belonged to an early system of frontier defence
corresponding in character to the extant ` Great Wall ' on
the Kan-su border. That I should have to return to them
for thorough exploration as soon as men and animals had
recovered from their fatigues by a short rest at Tun-huang
was quite clear to me. Yet no chances of getting more
familiar with details of the old Limes were to be forgone
in the meantime.
So on the morning of March 9th, 1907, while the animals
were allowed to enjoy grazing a little longer and the men
to take it easy over packing, I retraced last night's route
until I came again upon the line of the wall. It was now
seen to turn off north, and to run straight down at right
angles to the shore of the small lake near the end of which
we had camped. I was able to trace the layers of clay and
fascines, so impregnated with salt as to look quasi-petrified,
to within twenty-five yards or less of the salt-encrusted
lake shore. That the level of the latter lay only four or
five feet below the exposed base of the wall was an
important observation. The extent of local desiccation
since the wall was built could not have been great here.
It was still more interesting to note how the lake had
been utilized as a substitute for the strange wall elsewhere
guarding the line. It was evident that those who laid
down the line were eager to make the most of natural
obstacles and thus to save building labour.
VOL. II B
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