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[[underline]] Chapter VIII. [[/underline]] 157.

already described, great quantities of Han dynasty bricks, mostly broken and hence discarded by the brick-hunters; but little or nothing else.  It was not until we had penetrated downward in places from 1 1/2 to 2 meters that we began to lay bare the few remaining portions of the walls that had once formed the tomb-chamber (pl. [[strikethrough]] LXXX). [[/strikethrough]] ^[[27, fig. 2).]]  The axis of the first that we found ran N. 75° W. by S. 75° E.  Thus the tomb was not orientated exactly with the cardinal points but faced slightly west of south ([[underline]] cf. [[/underline]] [[strikethrough]] pl. LXXXI). [[/strikethrough]] ^[[fig. 36).]]
  The brick-hunters, we soon learned, had performed their work with regrettable thoroughness.  Only one section of wall, that at the north or rear of the tomb, retained as many as 8 courses of brick---the rest, considerably fewer; while the floor, of a single layer of bricks laid flat, had been almost though not entirely removed.  Nothing in the way of mortar had been used as "binding", and the bricks lay quite loose, one course on or beside another.  All were of Eastern Han type and dark gray in color.  They were of fairly uniform size, measuring [[strikethrough]] around [[/strikethrough]] ^[[about]] one English foot in length, from 5 to 6 inches in breadth, and 2 1/4 to 3 inches/ [[insertion]] in [[/insertion]] thickness.  They had been thoroughly baked, but many had warped a good deal in firing.  Sometimes one side bore a mat impression, while one edge (never both so far as we found) and sometimes one end also bore stamped on it in relief a geometrical pattern of concentric diamond or lozenge forms (fig. [[strikethrough]] 24). ^[[4]] [[/strikethrough]] ^[[37).]] The edge thus decorated was usually turned toward the interior of the vault ([[underline]] i.e. [[/underline]], outward from the wall), so as to be visible; though in one instance the bricks had been laid so that stamped and plain edges alternated, in a sort of simple diaper.
  Save at certain points where the builders had thought reinforcing or buttressing necessary, the walls were two bricks ([[underline]] i.e. [[/underline]], about one