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.
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