Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 2.djvu/89

 Maecit, 1873.] EMBASSY TO CHINA. 79 After an hour the Emperor came out from the Harem, and a silver-ladder with five steps being placed against the throne, he mounted it and sat down on the golden chair. His stature was of the middle size; his beard was neither long nor short ; nevertheless about two or three hundred hairs of it were so long that they formed three or four ringlets. On the two sides of the Emperor, to the right and left of the throne, two girls, beautifu] like the moon and splendid like the sun, with ainber- coloured hair, whose countenances and necks were not veiled, and who had great ear-rings, sat with paper and pen in hand, and watched to write down whatever the Emperor would say, to be presented to him on his return to the Harem, subject to his revision, and afterwards expedited into the chancery to be properly arranged. In fine, after the Emperor had taken his seat on the throne, the ambassadors were brought forward back to back with the prisoners. First of all the Emperor examined the prisoners and criminals, who were seven in number ; some had two branches on their neck [to pinch it], others were tied to a long plank through which their heads protruded, every one had a guard who kept hold of the prisoner’s hair with his hand, waiting for the order of the Emperor. Some of them the Emperor sent to prison, and others he ordered to be killed, as there is no governor or Darogah in the Khat&y dominions who has a right to condemn a culprit to death. The crime a man commits is written, together with the sentence, on a piece of board and tied round his neck, and he is, according to the religion of the in. fidels, chained and despatched toKhdn-B41yghf not being allowed to stop in any place till he reaches the foot of tho throne. When the business with the culprits was com¬ pleted, the ambassadors were brought to the throne, and when they were at a distance of fifteen cubits from it, an amir fell on his knees and read a statement about the ambassadors, which had been drawn up in Khatdy characters on a Bheet of paper, the contents whereof were :—That they had made a long and distant journey from Shdh Rokh ai d his sons, and had brought various presents for the Emperor, and were desirous to pay homage and to obtain a look of condescension. After that, Mulland Yusuf Qddzy, who was one of the amirs and courtiers, and presided over one of the twelve Imperial Ministries, came forward with several Moslems, who were linguists, to the ambassa¬ dors, and told them first to bend down low, and then to touch the ground thrice with their heads. The ambassadors obeyed, and took into both hands the letters from His Majesty Sh&h Rokh, from the Jenab Bdysanqar, and from the other princes, which they had, according to the advice of the courtiers, wrapped in yellow atlas, as it is the custom of the Khat&ys that everything which belongs to the Emperor must be enveloped in yellow silk. Then the above-mentioned Mull4n4 Yusuf took the letters from them and handed them to the chamber- lain, who, in his turn, gave them to the Emperor. Then the following seven of the ambassadors were brought near to the throne, viz., Shddy Khfijah Kukchah, Sultdn Ahmad, Ghaydth-ul-din, A'rghddq, Ardwdn, and Tdj-ul*din, all of whom fell on their knees. The Emperor first inquired about the health of the reigning Sultdn Shah Rokh, and asked whe¬ ther Qard Yusuf had sent an ambassador with pre¬ sents. Tho reply was :—“ Yes, and your Wajys have seen that his letters, as well as his gifts aud offerings, have likewise been brought.” He further asked :—“ Is the price of corn high in your country or low, and the produce abundant ?” The answer was :—“ Corn is extremely plentiful, and provi¬ sions are cheap beyond all expectation.” He conti¬ nued :—“ Indeed, if the heart of the king be with God the Most High, the Creator will confer great benefits upon him ” lie added :—“ I have a mind to send an ambassador to Qard Yusuf, and to ask from him some fine race-horses, for I have heard that there are good ones in his country.” He also asked whether the road was safe ; and the am¬ bassadors replied :—“ As long as tbe government of Sultdn Shdh Rokh exists, people will be able freely to travel.” He continued :—“ I am aware that you have come from a long distance ; rise and eat some food.” Accordingly they were taken back to the first court-yard, where a table was placed before every man. After they had finished their dinner, they returned, according to command, ! to the Bdmkhdnah, where they found every apart- j ment furnished with a fine bed and cushions of atlas, as well as slippers and an extremely fine morning-gown of silk, a sofa, a fire-pan, and beauti¬ ful mats spread on the ground ; they saw many more apartments of this kind, and every man ob¬ tained one for his use, as well os a pot, a cup, a spoon, sherbet, and raisins. Every person received a daily allowance of ten sirs of mutton, one duck, two fowls, two mann of flour according to the statute measure, one great bowl full of rice, two ladles full of sweetmeats, one vessel with honey, and onions and garlic, as well as of salt and various kinds of vegetables, and lastly, one platterful of confectionery. They had also several beautiful servants. The next day, which was the 9th Dhulhejjah (Dec. 15th), an equerry made his appearance in the morning with a number of saddled horses, and said to the ambassadors :—“ Get up and mount; this day the Emperor gives a banquet.” Accordingly they were led away and made to alight on their arrival at the gate of the first palace, and on that occasion there were about 300,000 persons near it. When the sun had gone up, the three doors were opened, and the ambassadors were taken to the foot of the throne, where they were ordered to make five salutations in the direction of the [throne of the] Emperor. After that, they were told to go out, and