The King And People Are Idolaters; And The King Has Great Power And Riches, Maintaining An Army Of 4000 Horsemen, Although It May Be Noted That A Good Horse In This Country Costs Four Or Five Hundred Gold Coins Called Pardaos, And Sometimes Eight Hundred.

The reason of this high price is, that these horses are brought from other countries, whence they can procure no mares, as the exportation of these is strictly prohibited by the princes of the countries whence the horses are procured.

He has likewise 400 elephants to serve in his wars, and many of those swift running camels which we commonly call _dromedaries_[77].

[Footnote 76: Bijanagur is 175 miles directly _north_ from Narsingapoor. - E.]

[Footnote 77: In modern language the term dromedary is very improperly applied to the Bactrian, or two-hunched camel, a slow beast of burden. The word dromedary is formed from the Greek _celer_, and only belongs to a peculiar breed of camels of amazing swiftness. - E.]

At this place I had an excellent opportunity of learning the docility and almost reasoning wisdom of the elephant, which certainly is the most sagacious and most docile of all animals, approaching even to human reason, and far exceeding all other beasts in strength. When used for war, the Indians fix great pack-saddles on their backs, resembling those used in Italy for mules of burden, but vastly larger. These saddles are girt round their bellies with two iron chains, and on each side is placed a small house, cage, or turret of wood, each of which contains three men.

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