The
troops are quartered round about the palace, and enjoy the sport (that the
royal demesne affords).
So now let us quit this kingdom, and I will tell you of a very mountainous
province called Cuncun, which you reach by a road right wearisome to
travel.
NOTE 1. - ["Morus alba is largely grown in North China for feeding
silkworms." (Bretschneider, Hist. of Bot. Disc. I. p. 4.) - H.C.]
NOTE 2. - Having got to sure ground again at Kenjanfu, which is, as we shall
explain presently, the city of SI-NGAN FU, capital of Shen-si, let us look
back at the geography of the route from P'ing-yang fu. Its difficulties are
great.
The traveller carries us two days' journey from P'ing-yang fu to his castle
of the Golden King. This is called in the G. Text and most other MSS.
Caicui, Caytui, or the like, but in Ramusio alone Thaigin. He then
carries us 20 miles further to the Caramoran; he crosses this river,
travels two days further, and reaches the great city Cachanfu; eight days
more (or as in Ramusio seven) bring him to Si-ngan fu.
There seems scarcely room for doubt that CACHANFU is the HO-CHUNG FU [the
ancient capital of Emperor Shun - H.C.] of those days, now called P'U-CHAU
FU, close to the great elbow of the Hwang Ho (Klaproth). But this city,
instead of being two days west of the great river, stands near its
eastern bank.
