The prime minister said: "O King of the world; I have a device for repelling him."
"Very good," said the King; "do not fail to try it."
The prime minister therefore caused a pilo, or ship, to be fitted out with rusty needles. They took also two kinds of trees, kamses and jujube trees, laden with fruit; these were placed on board ship with the soil in which they grew. Old men who had lost their teeth were chosen for passengers and crew. To these the minister gave his instructions and they started for Temasik.
When they had reached this place King Souran was informed that a ship had arrived from China. "Go and ask these strangers," he said to his attendants, "at what distance does this country lie from us." The attendant put this question to the crew of the pilo and received the following reply:
"When we left China we were all still young, being scarcely twelve years old; and these trees were seeds which we had sown. But you see how old we are now, and how our teeth are fallen out; the grains of seed have become trees in fruit, and all this has happened during the time it has taken us to reach here."
At the same time they took the needles of which they had a large quantity and said as they showed them to the Hindoos:
"When we started from China, these were as thick as a man's arm, and now see how they are worn out by the rust. This will give you an idea of the length of the voyage: we could not keep count of the years and the months."
On hearing this answer of the Chinese, the Hindoos ran to report it to
King Souran, to whom they repeated all they had heard.
"If the thing is as they say," replied the prince, "the land of China is still a very long way off. When shall we arrive there? We had better return home."
"His Majesty is undoubtedly right," said the officers.