oad was fairly good for pack-animals, although crossed at
frequent intervals by the beds of partially-frozen streams, the
swift-flowing waters of which were sweet and clear as crystal.
Mountains shut us in on either side, while we met an unending
procession of men and beasts conveying loads of merchandise from
Mongolia to Peking.

The scenery was lovely, and all along the route were to be seen
crumbling forts and walls built many centuries ago to defend this, the
principal pass, against invading enemies.

We saw three or four pheasants and heard several more, so that there
probably is good sport to be had amongst these rugged hills. After
halting for tiffin under a fine archway of Indian architecture we
arrived at Pa-Ta-Ling (eight lofty peaks), where we obtained a good
view of the Great Wall.

Scrambling to the top at a place where it was partly in ruins, my
friend was soon busy with his camera, whilst I proceeded to
investigate this world-famed structure.

My feet are rather long and it was just fourteen of them across the
top, which is evenly paved with square bricks, while the height of the
wall I judged to be between twenty and thirty feet. At irregular
intervals there are towers, in one of which was a pile of antique
carronades about two feet long, of equal size all the way down and
bound round with iron hoops for additional strength. Much resembling
old rain-pipes, they had not a very formidable appearance, and were
probably more dangerous to those who fired them than to the enemy.

Built two hundred years before Christ, and upwards of thirteen hundred
miles in length, the wall is certainly a gigantic monument, well
constructed of large bricks, and here, at any rate, in good
preservation and by no means whatsoever a mass of stones and rubbish
as asserted by some describers.

Instead of winding along the line of least resistance it follows the
sinuosities of the country, surmounting crags and delving into
valleys, so that it can be seen topping height after height as it
climbs the mountain range until it becomes a mere thread and finally
is lost to view in the far distance. Walking along it for some little
way I found that it scaled almost perpendicular cliffs, up one of
which I passed, the top of the wall here taking the form of steps,
while down the opposite side the descent was so steep that for greater
security I made it backwards on hands and knees.

The wall was built with the object of protecting C