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| 0177 |
Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2 |
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tunnel belonged to the first two decades after Christ, the
reign of Wang Mang the Usurper. In both sets the docu-
ments seemed to have been addressed to some superior
officer. The presumption was that here we had struck the
site of some sectional headquarters for this part of the
Limes. It received support when I learned that at least
one of the records certainly emanated from the general
officer commanding at Tun-huang, while several others
contained reports or orders to superior officers holding
charge of 'the barrier of Yü-mên.'
All along I had surmised that this ancient frontier
station of the 'Jade Gate' must have been located during
Han times at some point along the line we were exploring.
But where was its exact position, and had this always been
the same? It was impossible as yet to arrive at any
definite answer. But with the documents before me I
now began to realize what advantages this site offered for
a chief watch-station commanding the ancient route west-
wards, and how little reason there was for doubts about the
antiquity and the purpose of the ruined fort at this point.
Well withdrawn behind the protective line of wall and
towers, and defended to the north-west and south-east by
impassable marshes, its position was admirably adapted to
serve both as a point d'appui for the posts along this portion
of the Limes and as a station controlling traffic along the
main road. Only the day before I had discovered that the
fort lay exactly in the line of a secondary wall running due
south from the main wall in the direction of Nan-hu, and,
though badly decayed, still traceable on the Sai. This
secondary wall showed exactly the same manner of con-
struction with alternate layers of gravel and fascines, but
only a thickness of a little under five feet. It seemed clear
from the first that this transverse wall was a subsequent
work; for without the main wall beyond, it would have been
quite easy to turn it from the north flank.
But what had been the true object of this cross wall?
I had first thought of an inner line built, not for de-
fence, but for purposes of police control in order to prevent
the unauthorized entrance of individual travellers into
Chinese territory. But evidence subsequently accumulating
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