Bernier’s voyage to the east indies.

165

ieafls end with, and which is unknown to us in Europe : and that is the combat of theelephants, which the King, the ladies of the court, and the Omrahs do behold fromfeveral apartments of the fortrefs, and which is {hewn before all the people in this greatfandy place which looks to the river.

They raile a wall of earth three or four foot broad, and five or fix foot high. Thetwo elephants that are to fight, meet one another face to face, one on the one fide ofthe wall, the other on the other, each having two riders upon him, that fo if the firft,who fits on his fhoulders (having a great pointed iron in his hand, to turn the beadon the right or left hand) fhould fall, the other who fits backward, may call himfelfinto his place. Thefe four riders or guides do animate their elephants to the combat,and vigoroully to fall upon their enemy, now flattering them, and by and by chidingthem as cowards, and very rudely kicking them with their heels. After they havebeen a good while thus chafed and pufhed on, then you {hall fee thefe two bulky maflfescome to the wall, and bluntly afiaultone another, and give fuch cruel blows with theirteeth, head, trunk, that you would think they would foon ftrike one another dead.This fight continues a while, then ceafeth, and begins afrcfli feveral times, until themud-wall being overthrown, the flouted of the two pafleth upon the other, makethhim turn his back, purfueth him with blows of his teeth and trunk, and gets fuch anhold-fad upon him, that there is no means of feparating them, except it be with theCherkys, that is, certain artificial fires cad betwixt them, this animal being very fearfulof fire: whence it comes, that fince fire-arms have been ufed in armies, elephants doalmod no good at all. It is true indeed, that forne of thofe brave ones that come outof Ceileau, are not fo timorous ; but that is not till they have been whole years ac-cudomed to it, by difeharging every day mufkets before them, and by cading fquibsbetween their legs. Mean time this conflict of the elephants would be no fuch difpleafing.fight, if it were not fo cruel, it often happening that fome of thofe poor guides aretrod under foot and perifh : for the elephants in the combat have this malice, that theydrive above all things to drike with their trunk, and to pull down the conductor oftheir adverfary; and thence it is, that on the day when thefe poor riders know they'are to make the elephants fight, they bid farewel to their wives and children, as if theywere condemned to death. That which encourages and comforts them, is, that if theyefcape and quit themfelves well of their duty, the King increafes their pay, and com-mands a fack of Peyflas, which amounts to about fifty French livres, to be forthwithgiven them ; or if they be killed upon the fpot, he orders that pay be made to thewidow, and the office to be given to his fon, if he have any. There is another mifehief,which often accompanieth this combat; which is, that in this great throng there are alwaysfomeperfons overthrown by the elephant, or trod underfoot by the horfes, and people,that on a bidden run away all at once, and fall one upon another, when the elephantsa re enraged, and the one purfueth the other, fo that then one cannot at any nearnefs lookon but without danger. For my part, the fecond time I faw it I did fufiiciently repentfor having approached fo nigh, and if I had not had a good horfe, and two goodfervants, I believe I fhould have paid for my curiofity as dear as others.

But it is time we fhould leave the fortrels, and return into the city, there to obferveto you two things I had forgot. The firfl is the great Mofquee, feen afar o(F in themidfl of the town, {landing upon a rock, flatted to build upon, and to make roundubout a large place for four long and fair ftreets to end upon, and anfvvering to thefour fides of the Mofquee, viz. one to the principal gate, or frontifpiece, another behindthat, and the two others to the two gates that are in the middle of the two remainingfides. To come to the gates, there are twenty-five or thirty fleps of fair and largeftones going round about, except the back-part, which is covered with other greatquarry-flones to cover the unevennefs of the cut rock: which contributes much to

make