comparatively less jagged and rocky than
the eastern, and the slope towards the stream more gentle, except at the
north-western corner, where the rocks appear broken and tumbled down
over the slopes in huge masses.

From the church-yard wall, all along the edge of the _mesilla_,
descending into the depression mentioned, and again rounding the highest
northern point, then crossing over transversely from west to east and
running back south along the opposite edge, there extends a wall of
circumvallation, constructed, as far as may be seen, of rubble and
broken stones, with occasional earth flung in between the blocks. This
wall has, along its periphery, a total length of 983 m.--3,220
ft.--according to Mr. Thurston's measurement.[99] It was, as far as can
be seen, 2 m.--6 ft. 6 in.--high on an average, and about 0.50 m.--20
in.--thick. There is but one entrance to it visible, on the west side,
at its lowest level, where the depression already mentioned runs down
the slope to the south-west as the bed of a rocky streamlet. There a
gateway of 4 m.--13 ft.--in width is left open; the wall itself thickens
on each side to a round tower built of stones, mixed with earthy
fillings. These towers, considerably ruined, are still 2 m.--6 ft. 6
in.--high, and appear to have been at least 4m.--13 ft.--in diameter; at
all events the northern one. At the gateway itself the walls curve
outward,[100] and appear to have terminated in a short passage of
entering and re-entering lines, between which there was a passage, as
well for man as for the waters from the _mesilla_ into the bottom and
the stream below. But these lines can only be surmised from the streaks
of gravel and stones extending beyond the gateway, as no definite
foundations are extant. Pl. I., Fig. 3, is a tolerably correct diagram
of this gateway.

[Illustration: PLATE IX
VIEW OF GATEWAY OF CIRCUMVALLATION, FROM THE EAST.]

The face of the wall at each side of the gate is 1.3 m.--4 ft.--wide.
Whether there was any contrivance to close it or not it is now
impossible to determine; but there are in the northern wall of the gate
pieces of decayed wood embedded in and protruding from the stone-work.
For what purpose they were placed there it is not permitted even to
conjecture.

* * * * *

Having thus sketched, as far as I am able, the topography of the
_mesilla_, and described its great wall of circumvallation, I now turn
to the ruins which