9. This story also holds a certain place among Indian legends, but
is not so popular as the last.
10. Cup. No one travels or indeed goes about at all in Tibet and
Mongolia without a wooden cup stuck in his breast or in his girdle. At
every visit the guest holds out his cup and the host fills it with
tea. Abbé Huc supplies many details concerning their use. They are
so indispensable that they form a staple article of industry; their
value varies from a few pence up to as much as 40l.
11. Tai-tsing = the all-purest, the name of the Mandschu or Mantschou
dynasty (or Mangu, according to the spelling of Lassen, iv. 742),
who, from being called in by the last emperor of the Ming dynasty
to help in suppressing a rebellion, subsequently seized the throne
(1644). This dynasty has reigned in China ever since, while the
Mantchou nationality has become actually forced on the Chinese.
Previously, however, the Mantchous were a tribe of Eastern Tartars
long formidable to the Chinese. The introduction of a king of the
Mantchous, therefore, as identical with Vikramâditja, presents the
most remarkable instance that could be met with of what may be called
the confusion of heroes, in the migration of myths.