I Landed
Along With Them, And Two Hours Afterwards The King Sent Me A Present Of
Some Provisions, I Having
Sent him on my landing a present of two
pieces;[89] the custom being to make the king some small
Present on
landing, in return for which he sends several dishes of meat.
[Footnote 89: These pieces, so often mentioned in the early voyages,
were probably fowling-pieces, or European fire-arms. - E.]
On the 17th, the king sent an elephant, with a golden bason, for our
king's letter, which I accompanied to court, attended by forty of our
men, who were all admitted into the king's presence. After many
compliments, the king returned me our king's letter, that I might read
it to him; and accordingly the substance of it was explained in the
native language, with the contents of which he was well pleased. After
some time, the king told me that he would shew me some of his
diversions, and accordingly caused his elephants to fight before us.
When six of them had fought for some time, he caused four buffaloes to
be brought, which made a very excellent and fierce fight; such being
their fierceness that sixty or eighty men could hardly part them,
fastening ropes to their hind-legs to draw them asunder. After these,
some ten or twelve rams were produced, which fought very bravely. When
it was so dark that we could hardly see, these sports were discontinued,
and the king presented me with a banquet of at least 500 dishes, and
such abundance of hot drinks as might have sufficed to make an army
drunk.
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