During his crossing of the Nan Shan, Sir Aurel Stein had the same experience, five of his ponies being “benumbed and refusing to touch grass or fodder.”  The traveller notes that, Ruins of Desert Cathay, II., p. 303:  “I at once suspected that they had eaten of the poisonous grass which infests certain parts of the Nan Shan, and about which old Marco has much to tell in his chapter on ‘Sukchur’ or Su-chou.  The Venetian’s account had proved quite true; for while my own ponies showed all the effects of this inebriating plant, the local animals had evidently been wary of it.  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.