National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

Sec. v]   ABANDONED VILLAGE SITES NORTH OF NAN-HU   629

After marching through a maze of tamarisk-cones for another three miles or so I was obliged by darkness to halt in the first thicket of Toghraks (Camp 170 in Map No. 74. D. 4). I found there decayed huts of the roughest description, half dug into the ground. No doubt, they had once been tenanted by herdsmen, and water was then likely to have been near. But it was impossible to find any indication how long ago that was. It was an apt illustration of the doubts ever besetting the student when he has to examine things primitive and devoid of chronology. Small channels, which looked as if cut by flood-water at no very distant period, traversed the jungle at numerous points. As we passed on the morning of April 14 through this belt of tamarisks and reed-beds northward, I noticed again traces of old wheel-marks in places where there were bare clay surfaces showing cracks, as if baked by the sun after some great flooding. More of such cart-tracks were met with running east to west as we crossed a narrow belt of bare gravel.

Then a wide salt-encrusted depression was struck stretching away from south-east to north-west and holding in the middle a marsh-bed, partly with open water, which was, no doubt, fed by subsoil drainage from the alluvial fan of Nan-hu. It serves to illustrate the deceptive nature of the ground along this portion of the Limes that such a considerable marsh-bed had remained unobserved by the Surveyor and myself when we had previously passed close by on our way to Tun-huang. When at last we had found a place where the boggy soil was just practicable for laden animals, and had pushed up the gravel slope beyond, I found myself opposite to what was quickly recognized as the ruined watch-tower, T. xi' (Fig. 181), of the ancient Limes. After another five miles' march westwards I could place my camp once more by the small reed-fringed lake (C. 155) where I had halted after my first day's successful exploration along the Wall, and where there was drinkable water in plenty to refresh the men and good grazing, too, for the animals.

Camp by decayed huts.

Old wheel-marks.

Deceptive ground near Limes.

SECTION VI.—LIST OF ANTIQUES FROM RUINED SITES OF NAN-HU

OBJECTS FROM INTERIOR OF NAN-HU TOWN.

Nan. Ft. oor. Pottery fr. from rounded vessel of red clay, burning to smoky grey ; hand-made, and fired on an open hearth, with mat-markings' on exterior; hole drilled, for rivet (?), in corner. 5hß" x 2f"x

Nan. Ft. 002. Pottery fr. of grey clay, wheel-made, kiln-fired ; deep wheel-ridge on outside ; small hole drilled

through lower part, for rivet (?). 3" x Sig" x   to â".

Nan. Ft. 003. Pottery fr. of light red clay burning to buff; hand-made, fired on an open hearth. 2r x Ii- x ".

Nan. Ft. 004. Pottery fr. from side and rim of shallow bowl, wheel-made of very hard-fired grey clay, kiln-burned; edge of rim slightly thickened and rounded; about

from edge is raised triangular moulding running round side. Prob. Chinese, Han dynasty. 2" x i g" x r to s".

Nan. Ft. 005. Porcelain fr. from bowl painted in blue under greenish grey glaze; design undeveloped. Chinese. I"XIg'Xg".

Nan. Ft. oo6. Pottery fr. of vessel of buff stoneware with good creamy yellow glaze inside, faintly crackled. Chinese; coarse example of the Ting type of ware. i$" x Ig X".

Nan. Ft. oo7. Corner of brick of grey clay, burnt; one side broken, so thickness uncertain. Actual meas. 21." X'E

OBJECTS FROM ' TATI'

Nan. T. ow. Pottery fr. from rim of large wide-mouthed jar, wheel-made of well-levigated clay, smoky grey burning to light brown ; somewhat unevenly fired ; rim slightly curved, and turns over into club moulding. 3E x 2a'xr.

Nan. T. 002. Pottery fr. from vase, hand-made, of smoky grey clay, evenly fired; ' mat-marking' on exterior. 2r Xg".

NEAR NAN-HU TOWN.

Nan. T. 003. Pottery fr. of dark grey (almost black) ware ; wheel-made, but outer face cut or modelled into rude facets. 2A" x 2 " X -".

Nan. T. 004. Pottery fr. from vessel of ill-levigated grey clay burning to red; wheel-made, greenish-brown smear on outer face ; orn. with narrow sunk groove, below which is trace of incised wave pattern. I1" x i " x

7.