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king's image. They wrote by cutting in leather in horizontal lines. To its west was T'iaochih, and to its north were Yentsai and Lihsien. T'iaochih was several thousand li to the west of Anhsi and bordered on the West Sea (Mediterrnean Sea). It was hot and damp there. The people tilled the land and grew rice in their fields. There was a kind of large bird which laid eggs as big as jars. It was a populous country with many chieftains. It was subject to Anhsi and made to serve as a colony. The people were skilled in magic. The elders of Anhsi heard of the rumour that there were in T'iaochih the Weak River and the fairy Princess of the West, but never saw them. Tahsia was more than 2,000 li to the southwest of Tayuan and south of the Wei River. The people were settled and had cities and houses and similar customs as Tayuan. They had no king but often only small chieftains over the counties. Their troops were weak and afraid of war. The people were skilled in trade. When the Greater Yuehchih moved westward and defeated them, they became a subject people. They were a big nation, numbering more than a million. Their capital was called the Blue City where there were peddlers selling various goods. To its southeast was Hindu. Chang Ch'ien said: "When I was in Tahsia I saw bamboo sticks of Chun and cloth of Shu (Szechuan). I asked them how they got these. The people of Tahsia said that their countrymen bought them in Hindu. Hindu is several thousand li to the southeast of Tahsia. The people are settled and have similar customs as Tahsia. The land is low, and the weather damp and hot. In battle the people ride elephants. The country is on the Big River (the Ganges). I calculate that, as Tahsia is twelve thousand li to the southwest of Changan, and Hindu in its turn is several thousand li to the southeast of Tahsia and is getting goods from Shu, then Hindu is not very far from Shu. If our envoy to Tahsia should go through the Ch'iangs, it -5-