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bernikr’s voyage to the east indies.

The princeffes, and the great ladies of the feraglio, are alfo carried in fundryfalhions; fome are carried, like the King, on men’s fhoulders, in a Tchaudoule, whichis a kind of Taft-ravan, painted, gilded, and covered with great and coftly net-work offilk of divers colours, enriched with embroidery, fringe, and thick pendant tufts. Othersare carried in very handfome Palekys clofed, that are likewife painted and gilded, andcovered with that rich filken net-work. Some are carried in large litters by twoftrong camels, or by two fmall elephants, iriftead of mules: and in this manner I havefometimes feen carried Rauchenara-Begum ; when I alfo obferved, that in the fore-partof her litter, being open, there was a little fhe-flave, that with a peacock’s tail kept offfrom her the flies and dull;. Laftly, others are carried upon elephants richly harneffed,and covered with embroidered deckings, and great filver bells, where thefe ladies fit,raifed, as it were, into the middle region of the air, four and four in Mik-dembers,latticed, which always are covered with filken net-work, and are no lefs fplendid and(lately than Tchaudoules and Tadl-ravans.

I cannot forbear relating here, that in this voyage I took a particular pleafure in be-holding and confidering this pompous march of the feraglio. And certainly nothingmore (lately can be imagined, than to fee Rauchenara-Begum march firft, mountedupon a lufty elephant of Pegu, in a Mik-dember, all (hining of gold and azure, attendedby five or fix other elephants with their Mik-dember, almolt as fplendid as hers, filledwith the principal die-officers of her houfe ; fome of the mod confiderable eunuchs,richly adorned, and advantageoufly mounted, riding on her fide, each with a cane inhis hand; a troop of Tartarian and Kachemirian maids of honour about her, oddly andfant^ftically dreffed, and riding on very pretty hackney-horfes; and laftly, many othereunuchs on horfeback accompanied with (lore of pages and lackeys, with great (licksin their hands, to make way afar off. After this Rauchenara-Begum, I faw pafs oneof the principal ladies of the court, mounted and attended in proportion : and afterthis, a third in the fame falhion ; and then another, and fo on to fifteen or fixteen, all(more or lefs) bravely mounted and accompanied according to their quality, pay, andoffice. Indeed this long file of elephants to the number of fifty, or fixty, or more,thus gravely marching with paces, as it were, counted, and withal this gallant train andequipage, does reprefent fomething that is great and royal; and if I had beheld thispomp with a kind of philofophical indifference, I know not whether 1 fhould not havefuffered myfelf to be carried away to thofe extravagant fentiments of molt of the In-dian poets, who will have it, that all thefe elephants carry as many hidden goddeffes.’Tis true, one can hardly fee them, and they are almoft inacceflible by men ; it wouldbe a great misfortune to any poor cavalier whofoever, to be found in the field too nearthem in the march ; all thofe eunuchs, and all the crew of fervants are to the higheftdegree infolent, and defire nothing more than fuch a pretext and occafion to fall upona man, and give him fome baftinadoes. I remember I was once thus unfortunatelyfurprized, and certainly I had been very ill ufed, as well as many other cavaliers, if atlength I had not refolved to make my way out by my fword, rather than fuffer myfelfto be thus maimed, as they began to order the matter ; and if by good luck I had notbeen provided with a good horfe, that carried me vigoroufly out of the prefs, when Iput him on through a torrent of people, that was to be repaffed. And it is grown in amanner a common proverb of thefe armies, that, above all, one muft beware of threethings: firft, not to let himfelf to be engaged amongft the troops of the chofen ledhorfe, they never failing to ftrike : fecondly, not to come into the places of hunting:thirdly, not to approach too near the women of the feraglio. Yet notwithftanding,

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