Chau Ju-Kua - University of Oregon Libraries

88 MALABAR. ' 1,16
The people are very dainty in their diet; they have a hundred ways of
cooking their food, vfhich varies every day.
There is an officer called Han-lin (^ J^) who lays the viands and
drinks before the king, and sees how much food he eats, regulating his diet
so that he may not exceed the proper measure. Should the king fall sick 5
through excess of eating, then (this officer) must taste his faeces and treat
him according as he finds them sweet or bitter.
The people of this country are of a dark brown complexion, the lobes
of their ears reach down to their shoulders. They are skilled in archery and
dextrous with the sword and lance. They love fighting and ride elephants in lo
battle, when they also wear turbans of coloured silks.
They are extremely devout Buddhists^.
The climate is warm; there is no cold season. Rice, hemp, beans, wheat,
millet, tubers and green vegetables supply their food; they are abundant and cheap.
They cut an alloyed silver into coins; on these they stamp an official 15
seal. The people use these in trading.
, The
native products include pearls, foreign cotton stuff of all colours
(i. e., coloured chintzes) and tou-lo mien (cotton cloth)*.
There is in this country (a. river called the) Tan-shui kiang Q^ jjf. ;^x)
which, at a certain point where its different channels meet, becomes very 20
broad. At this point its banks are bold cliffs in the face of which sparks (lit.,
stars) can constantly be seen, and these by their vital powers fructify and
produce small stones (^ Wij ^^ ^ ^ A^ ^\) ^^^^ cat's-eyes, clear
and translucid. They lie buried in holes in (these) hills until some day they
are washed out by the rush of a flood, when the officials send men in little 25
boats to pick them up. They are prized by the natives''.
The following states are dependencies of this country (of Nan-p'i)^:
Ku-lin (^ gg)
Fong-ya-lo OM 3f W
Hu-ch'a-la {^^ ^ ^)
Ma-li-mo (jg {!i #)
Kan-pa-i (-^ g ^) Tu-nu-ho (|5 ^ ^) 30
Pi-li-sha (5B5 m '&) A-li-jo (1^ Pi p^)
5 Ma-lo-hua (^ % ^)
10 Au-lo-lo-li (Pf || ^ {3f
This country (of Nan-p'i ?) is very far away and foreign vessels rarely .
visit it. Shi-lo-pa-chi-li-kan, father and son, belong to this race of people;
they are now living in the southern suburb of the city of Ts'uan-(ch6u-fu)^ 35
Its products are taken thence to Ki-lo Ta-nupg " (^ ^ ^ ^) and
San-fo-ts'i, and the following goods are exchanged in bartering for them:
Ho-ch'i silks, porcelain-ware, camphor (chang-nau), rhubarb", huang-lien
)