~Through the Ts'ung Mountains to K'eech-ch'a~
When the processions of images in the fourth month were over, Sang-shâo,
by himself alone, followed a Tartar who was an earnest follower of the
Law, and proceeded towards Ko-phene. Fâ-hien and the others went forward
to the kingdom of Tsze-hoh, which it took them twenty-five days to
reach. Its king was a strenuous follower of our Law, and had around him
more than a thousand monks, mostly students of the mahâyâna. Here the
travellers abode fifteen days, and then went south for four days, when
they found themselves among the Ts'ung-ling mountains, and reached the
country of Yu-hwuy, where they halted and kept their retreat. [1] When
this was over, they went on among the hills for twenty-five days, and
got to K'eeh-ch'a, there rejoining Hwuy-king and his two companions.
[Footnote 1: This was the retreat already twice mentioned as kept by the
pilgrims in the summer, the different phraseology, "quiet rest," without
any mention of the season, indicating their approach to India. Two, if
not three, years had elapsed since they left Ch'ang-gan. Are we now with
them in 402?]