THE LEGEND OF THE AMBASSADORS. 69 



now exists, except in the form of extracts quoted in a book 

 issued during the last century, so that the story may well 

 be regarded as not only an exceedingly doubtful tradition, 

 but one which has certainly undergone two modern atten- 

 uations. Its period is mo B. C., when the Cochin-Chinese 

 are alleged to have sent ambassadors to offer white pheas- 

 ants to the Emperor, and to do him homage, because there 

 had been no particularly annoying convulsions of nature 

 for the preceding three years. Three envoys were dis- 

 patched over different routes, because the u road was very 

 long and the mountains high and the rivers deep," and if 

 a single individual should go astray, the others might suc- 

 ceed in reaching their destination. As it happened, all 

 arrived safely and made their offerings, but when the time 

 came to return they concluded that they had forgotten 

 the way back. The Emperor then presented them with 

 five carts, or chariots, which always indicated the south, 

 whereupon they set forth, but instead of steering a straight 

 course back to Cochin-China they seem, somewhat incon- 

 sequently, to have made their way to the seashore, and to 

 have followed the coast to their native land; and what re- 

 flects still more upon the efficacy of the carts is that it 

 took them a whole year to make the journey. 



"The Mirror of Chinese History," a native commentary 

 illustrative of the facts related in the Shoo-king, tells the 

 story with some variations, the final statement being that 

 "the duke gave them five close carriages, each of which 

 was so constructed as to point to the south ; the ambassa- 

 dors mounted these, and, passing through Foo-nan and 

 Lin-yih to the seashore in about a year, they arrived at 

 their country. Hence the south-pointing carriages have 

 always been used to direct the way and to show the sub- 

 mission of distant strangers, in order to regulate the four 

 quarters of the world." 



Another work 1 gives a sequel to this story to the effect 



*Ki kin chu, written by Tsui-p'au during the Tsin dynasty. Jour. N. 

 C. Branch, Roy. As. Soc., n. s., xi., 123. 



