City of Khojoon, three days' journey from
Meshed, Mohammed Kuly Khan Ardemee, who was of the same tribe with Nadir
Shah, his relation, and Kushukchee Bashee, with seventy of the Kukshek
or guard,... bound themselves by an oath to assassinate Nadir Shah."
(Memoirs of Khojeh Abdulkurreem ... transl. by F. Gladwin, Calcutta,
1788, pp. 166-167).]
Friar Odoric speaks of the four barons who kept watch by the Great Kaan's
side as the Cuthe, which probably represents the Chinese form Kiesie
(as in De Mailla), or Kuesie (as in Gaubil). The latter applies the term
to four devoted champions of Chinghiz, and their descendants, who were
always attached to the Kaan's body-guard, and he identifies them with the
Quesitan of Polo, or rather with the captains of the latter; adding
expressly that the word Kuesie is Mongol.
I see Kishik is a proper name among the Kalmak chiefs; and Keshikten
also is the name of a Mongol tribe, whose territory lies due north of
Peking, near the old site of Shangtu. (Bk. I. ch. lxi.) [Keshikhteng,
a tribe (pu; mong. aimak) of the Chao Uda League (meng; mong.
chogolgan) among the twenty-four tribes of the Nei Mung-ku (Inner
Mongols). (See Mayers' Chinese Government, p. 81.) - H. C.] In Kovalevsky,
I find the following: -
(No. 2459) "Keshik, grace, favour, bounty, benefit, good fortune,
charity."
(No. 2461) "Keshikten, fortunate, happy, blessed."
(No. 2541) "Kichyeku, to be zealous, assiduous, devoted."
(No. 2588) "Kushiku, to hinder, to bar the way to," etc.
The third of these corresponds closely with Polo's etymology of "knights
devoted to their lord," but perhaps either the first or the last may
afford the real derivation.
In spite of the different initials ([Arabic] instead of [Arabic]), it can
scarcely be doubted that the Kalchi and Kalakchi of Timur's Institutes
are mere mistranscriptions of the same word, e.g.: "I ordered that 12,000
Kalchi, men of the sword completely armed, should be cantoned in the
Palace; to the right and to the left, to the front, and in the rear of the
imperial diwan; thus, that 1000 of those 12,000 should be every night upon
guard," etc. The translator's note says of Kalchi, "A Mogul word
supposed to mean guards." We see that even the traditional number of
12,000, and its division into four brigades, are maintained. (See
Timour's Inst., pp. 299 and 235, 237.)
I must add that Professor Vambery does not assent to the form Keshikan,
on the ground that this Persian plural is impossible in an old Tartar
dialect, and he supposes the true word to be Kechilan or Kechiklen,
"the night-watchers," from Kiche or Kichek (Chag. and Uighur), =
"night."
I believe, however, that Persian was the colloquial language of foreigners
at the Kaan's court, who would not scruple to make a Persian plural when
wanted; whilst Rashid has exemplified the actual use of this one.
