When the Kan was dead, as I have related, and Firuz, the son of his uncle, had usurped the supreme power, the latter chose for his capital the city of KARkKoRAMI, because it was nearer to the territories of his cousins, the kings of Turkestan and Mawarulnahr.1 Then several of the amirs who had taken no part in the slaughter of the late Kan revolted against the new prince ; they began to cut off the communications, and there was great disorder.
Revolt having thus broken out, and civil war having been kindled, the Shaikh Burhanuddin and others advised me to return to (Southern) China before the disturbances should have arisen to a greater pitch. They went with me to the lieutenant of the Emperor Firuz, who sent three of his followers to escort me, and wrote orders that I should be everywhere received as a guest. So we descended the river to Khansa, Kanjanfii and Zaitun. When we reached the latter place, I found junks on the point of sailing for India, and among these was one belonging to Malik-ul-Zâhir, Sultan of Java (Sumatra), which had a Mahomedan crew. The agent of the ship recognised me, and was pleased to see me again. We had a fair wind for ten days, but as we got near the land of Tawalisi it changed, the sky became black, and heavy rain fell. For ten days we never saw the sun, and then we entered on an unknown sea. .The sailors were in great alarm, and wanted to return to China, but this was not possible. In this way we passed forty-two days, without knowing in what waters we were.
On the forty-third morning after daybreak we descried a mountain in the sea, some twenty miles off, and the wind was carrying us straight for it. The sailors were surprised and said, "We are far from the mainland, and in this sea no mountain is known. If the wind drives us on this one we are done for." Then every one betook himself to humilia-
1 Here two Mongol dynasties reigning in Central Asia seem to be spoken of (see p. 274 supra, and note at the end of this).
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