They had passed through many perils and hardships,
and had been in a state of anxious apprehension for many days together;
and now suddenly arriving at this shore, and seeing those well-known
vegetables, the lei and kwoh, [1] they knew indeed that it was the land
of Han. Not seeing, however, any inhabitants nor any traces of them,
they did not know whereabouts they were. Some said that they had not yet
got to Kwang-chow, and others that they had passed it. Unable to come to
a definite conclusion, some of them got into a small boat and entered a
creek, to look for someone of whom they might ask what the place was.
They found two hunters, whom they brought back with them, and then
called on Fa-hien to act as interpreter and question them. Fa-hien first
spoke assuringly to them, and then slowly and distinctly asked them,
"Who are you?" They replied, "We are disciples of Buddha." He then
asked, "What are you looking for among these hills?" They began to
lie,[2] and said, "To-morrow is the fifteenth day of the seventh month.
We wanted to get some peaches to present to Buddha." He asked further,
"What country is this?" They replied, "This is the border of the
prefecture of Ch'ang-kwang, a part of Ts'ing-chow under the ruling House
of Ts'in." When they heard this, the merchants were glad, immediately
asked for a portion of their money and goods, and sent men to
Ch'ang-kwang city.
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