Note 7.
The Jade Pass has not yet been forced.
In order to reach the Central Asian battle-fields, the soldiers were obliged to go out through the Jade Pass, or Barrier, which lay in the curious bottle-neck of land between the mountain ranges which occupy the centre of the continent. (See map.)
Note 8.
They seized the snow of the Inland Sea.
The Inland, or Green Sea, is the Chinese name for the Kokonor Lake lying West of the Kansu border. (See map.)
Note 9.
They lay on the sand at the top of the Dragon Mound.
The Dragon Mound is a high ridge of land on the Western border of Shensi, now comprising part of the Eastern boundary of Kansu. The native accounts say that the road encircles the mountains nine times, and that it takes seven days to make the ascent. "Its height is not known. From its summit, one can see five hundred li. To the East, lie the homes of men; to the West, wild wastes. The sound of a stone thrown over the precipice is heard for several li."
Note 10.