SCENES OF THE SPIRAL BAND RUNNING UP THE SHAFT

p120 XV. The emperor sends out mounted spies.

From the lower left (spectator's right) angle of this town the emperor is sending out a mounted party of three explorers to reconnoitre. Their horses have saddlecloths, ornamental straps at intervals over the mane and round the neck. They carry oval shields and appear to grasp their drawn swords. The emperor is giving them their final instructions. These men are picked from a sort of staff selected from the best men of the legion.

At a distance can be distinguished a mountain fort. It appears to be small. The walls are carefully constructed, and the gate is deeply recessed between two towers. Inside are three buildings of solid masonry, and one long building with a roof of one slope. Another has a door at the end, and a chamber with a square window over it. Wooden structures are raised within the walls with railed platforms upon them to serve as observatories. These are p121meant by the artist to be represented as built on mounds or heights within the place.

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