Hazards

When I traveled over land along the Silk Road west toward India, it became increasingly difficult to cross the desert and mountain ranges as I moved further west.

As I approached China's extreme outpost at the edge of the Desert of Lop, I was caught by the Chinese army. Not having a travel permit, they wanted to send me to Tun-huang to stay att the monastery there. However, I answered that if they insist on detaining me, I will allow them to take my life, but I will not take a single step backwards in the direction of China.

Since the officer himself was a Buddhist, he let me passed but in order to avoid the next outpost, he lft the main foot-track and made a detour, which brought me to a place so wild that no westige of life colud be found there. There was neither a bird, nor a four legged beasts, neither water nor pasture. At the point of my final exhaustion, my only companion, a horse, turned in another direction, following his animal instinct which led them to a place where there was water and pasture. My life was finally saved. That was the worse hazard ever in my whole journey.