An Ancient Fort. 



trend higher up to be in a northerly direction, and this I judged 

 must be the correct route to pursue. I therefore went up this 

 ravine for about two miles, over some difficult ground above the 

 left bank of the river, through clumps of forest, anon descending 

 into the valley, where the going above did not admit of a direct 

 course being followed. 



Again I turned north for two and a-haif miles, over some 

 very swampy ground, thence commencing the ascent of the 

 intervening range over rocky debris and through dense bush 

 to the summit, 8,200 feet, on the northern side of which was a 

 lake. The shores sloped away precipitously, giving the idea 

 of great depth. From above, the water looked beautifully 

 clear, but whether it held fish no evidence was forthcoming. 

 From the lake the path still continued in a northerly direction 

 through a broad valley with low hills on either side. There was 

 grass in abundance, in places reaching to our knees, the quality 

 and quantity of which would constitute it a fine cattle country. 



A mile or more along this grazing ground I reached the ruins 

 of an ancient fort, which the old cavalier from Kuchar told me 

 was a relic of bygone times when wars and rumours of wars 

 were the order of the day. It was sixty paces square, with 

 corner towers and one entrance, and constructed of mud and 

 wooden beams with a mi.xture of stones to stiffen the walls 

 and impart solidity. Judging from the condition, generations 

 must have elapsed since its occupation as a battlemented 

 stronghold, probably in the days when Kalmuk, Kirghiz and 

 Chinaman fought for mastery. The country to the south was 

 commanded from its walls, whilst to the north a still more 

 extensive view was obtainable. A stone's throw beyond the 

 fort the ground dropped away to another lake which filled the 

 southern limits of a broad grassy valley ; while at the far end 

 clusters of trees were visible. The valley sides sloped up in 

 ridges to a height of several hundred feet, the lower reaches 

 being dotted with pine and fir, imparting an air of majestic 

 solemnity to the scene. 



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