bernier’s voyage to the east indies.

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army, which they do fometimes very dear, and fometimes very cheap. I forgot tomention one thing that is remarkable, viz. that the king enters into the camp, now onone fide, then on another ; and to-day he pafleth near the tents of certain Omrahs,and to-morrow near thofe of others, which he doth not without defign; for the Om-rahs, which he paffeth by fo near, are obliged to meet him, and to make him fome fmallprefent or other; fo that fome will prefent him with twenty roupies of gold, whichmaketh thirty piftoles ; others with fifty, and fo others in proportion, according to theirgenerofity, and the greatnefs of their pay.

For the reft, you will excufe me, that I do not obferve to you the towns andboroughs that are between Dehli and Lahor . I have feen in a manner none of them,for I went almoft always crofs the fields, and in the night, becaufe my Agah was notplaced in the middle of the army, where often is the high-way, but very forward inthe right wing. We went as well as we could by ftar-light crofs the fields to gain theright wing of the camp, without feeking for the high-way ; though fometimes wefound ourfelves much perplexed, and in lieu of three or four leagues, which is the ordi-nary diftance of one encampment from another, we fometimes made five or fix j butwhen the day comes on, we foon found ourfelves where we fhould be.

LETTER III. — A Defcription of Lahor , the Capital of Penje-ab , or the Kingdom of

the Five Waters.

Sir, .

IT is not without reafon, that this kingdom, of which Lahor is the capital city, iscalled Penje-ab, or the country of the five waters, becaufe there are actually five con-fiderable rivers coming dowri from thofe mountains, within which the kingdom ofKachemire is locked up, and that run crofs this trad of land to fall into the river Indus ,difcharging themfelves together into the ocean at Scymdi, towards the entry of thePerfian gulph. Whether Lahor be that ancient Bucephalos , I decide not. Mean time,Alexander is fufficiently known here under the name of Sekander Filifous, that is,Alexander fon of Philip ; but as to his horfe, they know it not. The city of Lahor isbuilt upon one of thefe five rivers, which is not lefs than our river Loire , and for whichthere is great need of a like bank, becaufe it maketh great devaftation, and oftenchangeth its bed, and hath but lately retired itfelf from Lahor for a quarter of a league;which very much incommodeth the inhabitants. The houfes of Lahor have thispeculiar above thofe of Dehli and Agra , that they are very high, but moft of them areruinous, becaufe it is now more than twenty years that the court is always at Dehli orat Agra , and that in thefe later years the rains have been fo exceffive, that they haveoverthrown many of them, whereby alfo much people hath been killed. It is true,there remains ftill five or fix considerable ftreets, of which there are two or threethat are above a league long ; but in them alfo are many buildings found that falldown. The king’s palace is no longer upon the river-fide, as it was.formerly, becaufethat the river hath left it. It is very high, and magnificent; yet thofe of Agra andDehli do much furpafs it. It is now above two months that we are here, expectingthe melting of the fnow of the mountains of Kachemire, for a more convenient paffageinto that kingdom. But at length we are to depart to-morrow. The king hath beengone thefe two days. I have got a little Kachemirian tent, which I bought yefterday.

I was advifed to do like others, and to leave here my ordinary tent, which is big andheavy enough, becaufe, they fay, that between the mountains of Kachemire, whitherwe are now marching, it will be difficult to find room enough, and that the camels

not