Each Elephant Had Several Flags
And Streamers Of Cloth Of Silver, Gilded Sattin, Or Rich Silk.
His
noblemen accompanied him on foot, which I did likewise to the gate, and
then left him.
His women, who accompanied him on elephants, as before
mentioned, seemed like so many parroquitos in cages, and followed about
half a mile in the rear of his coach. On coming to the door of the house
in which his eldest son was kept prisoner, he caused the coach to stop,
and sent for prince Cuserou; who immediately came and made reverence,
having a sword and buckler in his hands, and his beard grown to his
middle, in sign of disfavour. The king now commanded his son to mount
one of the spare elephants in the royal train, so that he rode next his
father, to the great joy and applause of the multitude, who were now
filled with new hopes; and on this occasion, the king gave him 1000
rupees to throw among the people; his gaoler, Asaph Khan, and all the
ministers, being still attendant on foot.
To avoid the press and other inconveniences, I took horse and crossed
out of the leskar, getting before the king, and then waited for him
till he came near his tents, to which he passed all the way from the
town between a guard of turreted elephants, having each on the four
corners of their howdars a banner of yellow taffety, and a sling[208]
mounted in front, carrying a bullet as big as a tennis-ball. There were
about three hundred elephants armed in this manner, each having a
gunner; besides about six hundred other elephants of honour, that
preceded or followed the king, all covered with velvet or cloth of gold,
and all carrying two or three gilded banners. Many men afoot ran before
the king, carrying skins of water with which to sprinkle the road to
prevent dust from annoying him; and no one was allowed to approach the
coach on horseback by two furlongs.
[Footnote 208: The sling in the text appears to have been a slung
musquetoon, or small cannon, mounted in that manner to avoid
recoil. - E.]
Having gone before a-horseback, as before mentioned, I hastened to the
tents, to await the king's arrival. The royal encampment was walled
round, half a mile in circuit, in form of a fortress, with high screens
or curtains of coarse stuff; somewhat like Arras hangings, red on the
outside, the inside being divided into panes or compartments, with a
variety of figures. This inclosure had a handsome gateway, and the
circuit was formed into various coins and bulwarks, as it were; the
posts which supported the curtains being all surmounted with brass tops.
The throng was very great, and I wished to have gone into the enclosure,
but no one was allowed, even the greatest of the land having to sit down
at the gate. At length I was admitted, but the Persian ambassador and
all the nobles were refused.
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