SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 
guard’s van. As the train neared the head of the 
valley we caught glimpses of the towers and 
battlements of the Great Wall, winding snake- 
like over the tops of the hills. At Ch’ing-lung- 
ch’iao (clear dragon bridge) station, those who wish 
to view the ancient relic of bygone struggles 
between the Chinese and Tartars leave the train 
and climb the steep and rocky slopes to various 
points of vantage. They will see a fine old wall 
in an excellent state of preservation, marked at 
intervals with square towers. If, however, they 
imagine that what they see represents the whole 
of the Great Wall as it is to-day, they are greatly 
mistaken. This is only one of a few sections that are 
in good repair, doubtless due to its proximity to the 
capital of the Empire. But a few miles westward 
from this point the Wall becomes a mere ridge of 
earth, while the watch towers have fallen into 
disrepair. These conditions prevail all the way 
to the end of the Wall in Chinese Turkestan. 
From Ch’ing-lung-ch’iao the train continued its 
upward climb for another four hundred feet, when 
it passed through a long tunnel, and began to 
descend on to a wide plain. Crossing the plain, 
which looked very bleak and barren, we passed 
Huai-lai Hsien, a small town situated upon a 
rocky prominence on the south side of the railway. 
Later we entered a narrow, winding valley, at 
the mouth of which we noticed some coal mines. 
The Ta-yang Ho makes passage of a chain of 
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