A
little bleeding by the nose, to which Tila Bai, with the veterinary skill
of an old Ladak 'Kirakash,' promptly proceeded, seemed to afford some
relief. But it took two or three days before the poor brutes were again in
full possession of their senses and appetites."
"Wild rhubarb, for which the Nan-shan was famous in Marco Polo's days,
spread its huge fleshy leaves everywhere." (STEIN, Ruins of Desert
Cathay, II., p. 305.)
XLIII., p. 218.
SUKCHUR.
The first character of Suchau was pronounced Suk at the time of the
T'ang; we find a Sughciu in von Le Coq's MSS. from Turkestan and
Sughcu in the runnic text of W. Thomsen; cf. PELLIOT, J. As.,
Mai-Juin, 1912, p. 591; the pronunciation Suk-chau was still used by
travellers coming from Central Asia - for instance, by the envoys of Shah
Rukh. See Cathay, III., p. 126 n.
OF THE CITY OF CAMPICHU.
XLIV., pp. 219 seq. "The Idolaters have many minsters and abbeys after
their fashion. In these they have an enormous number of idols, both small
and great, certain of the latter being a good ten paces in stature; some
of them being of wood, others of clay, and others yet of stone. They are
all highly polished, and then covered with gold. The great idols of which
I speak lie at length. And round about them there are other figures of
considerable size, as if adoring and paying homage before them."
The ambassadors of Shah Rukh to China (1419-1422) wrote:
"In this city of Kamchau there is an idol temple five hundred cubits
square. In the middle is an idol lying at length, which measures fifty
paces. The sole of the foot is nine paces long, and the instep is
twenty-one cubits in girth. Behind this image and overhead are other idols
of a cubit (?) in height, besides figures of Bakshis as large as life.
The action of all is hit off so admirably that you would think they were
alive. Against the wall also are other figures of perfect execution. The
great sleeping idol has one hand under his head, and the other resting on
his thigh. It is gilt all over, and is known as Shakamuni-fu. The people
of the country come in crowds to visit it, and bow to the very ground
before this idol" (Cathay, I., p. 277).
XLV., p. 223.
OF THE CITY OF ETZINA.
I said, I., p. 225, that this town must be looked for on the river
Hei-shui called Etsina by the Mongols, and would be situated on the
river on the border of the Desert, at the top of a triangle, whose bases
would be Suhchau and Kanchau.
