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0305 On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks : vol.1
On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks : vol.1 / Page 305 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000214
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lake for a distance of about eighteen miles eastwards showed
with great clearness how thoroughly and intelligently those
instructions of the Imperial order had been carried out.
The wall had there been carried unfailingly over every bit
of firm ground capable of offering a passage for the enemy's
inroads and right down to the edge of the marshy inlets.
The lakes and bogs across their bottoms necessarily took the
place of the wall; for they provided a natural defence and
thus saved the labour of construction over many miles. It is
easy to appreciate this gain if we think of the huge diffi-
culties of supplies and transport which must have attended
the maintenance of adequate labour for building the wall in
absolute desert.

The gain resulting from this use of the natural obstacles
offered by impassable marshes must have been even greater
along the section which stretches farther east to the Khara-
nor lake and then along its southern shores. There this 'wet
border' formed by the Su-lo-ho marshes and by the large
lake is so wide that the construction of a wall appears to
have been thought unnecessary, except on two short stretches
where the Su-lo-ho happens to flow in a well-defined narrow
bed.

The topographical features just briefly indicated neces-
sarily rendered our search for the line of the Limes at this
point far more difficult. Once my ever-watchful Chinese
secretary and Ram Singh, my very intelligent 'handy man'
from the Bengal Sappers and Miners, had been initiated into
the task of clearing such modest ruins they could safely be
left behind to direct this work at the posts traced. Thus I
was free myself to start with a couple of my Turki followers
on reconnaissance rides. They were needed to show me