and to turn his course towards Agra, as the Deccaners were not worthy of exposing his sacred person.  He answered, that this consideration came now too late, as his honour was engaged by having advanced so far, and he was resolved to prosecute their former advice and his own purpose, whatever might be the hazard.  He now daily dispatched fresh troops to reinforce the army of his son Churrum, partly from his own followers, and the rest commanded from different governments.  These reinforcements were said to be 30,000 horse, but the actual musters were not so numerous.  Water was sometimes very scarce in camp, and provisions grew daily scarcer and dearer, the part of the country in which we now were not being well reduced to good government.  Not feeling these distresses, the king took no care to have them alleviated; and as his khans, or great men, had their provisions brought after them, they neglected to inform the king.  The whole burden fell upon strangers, the soldiers, and the poor followers of the camp, who were worst able to endure the hardships.  Every alternate day, as formerly, the king removed his camp, three, four, or five cosses; yet on the 29th of January, we were still sixty cosses short of Mundu.

On the 3d of February, having left the road of the leskar for my own ease, and for the benefit of the shade, and while resting me under a tree, Sultan Cuserou came upon me suddenly, seeking the same conveniences.  This is the king’s eldest son, formerly mentioned as in confinement by the practices of his brother Churrum and his faction, and taken out of their hands by the king at his leaving Agimere.  He was now riding on an elephant, with no great guard or attendance.  His people called out to me to give place to the prince, which I did, yet I staid to look at him, and he called on me to approach; and, after asking some familiar and civil questions, I departed.  His person is comely, his countenance chearful, and his beard hung down as low as his middle.  This I noticed, by his questions, that he seemed quite ignorant of all that passed at court, insomuch that he had never heard of any English, or of me their ambassador.  The 4th and 5th we continued our march without halting, and on the 6th at night, we came to a little tower, newly repaired, where the king pitched his tent in a pleasant place, on the banks of the river Sepra, one coss short of the city of Ugen, [Oojain,] the chief city of Malwa.  This place, called Callenda, was anciently a seat of the Gentoo kings of Mundu, one of whom was there drowned while drunk.  He had once before fallen into the river, and was taken out by the hair of his head, by a person who dived for him.  When he came to himself, it was told him how he had been saved from drowning, in hopes of having the slave rewarded.  He called his deliverer before him, and asking how he dared to be so bold as to touch his sovereign’s head, caused his hands to be cut off.  Not long afterwards, while sitting drunk beside his wife, and no other person near, he had the same misfortune to tumble into the water, at which time she might easily have saved him, but did not.  Being afterwards asked why she had not, she said she knew not but she likewise might have had her hands cut off for her reward.