The Institutes of Akbar 145.6

145.6

Deer are kept and fed as follows: Kháçah deer selected for fighting before His Majesty, get 2 s. grain, ½ s. boiled flour, ⅙ s. butter, and 1 d. for grass. Such as are kept on His Majesty’s hunting-grounds, kotals, and fighting deer of the sets, get 1½ s. of grain, and flour and butter as before. The grass is supplied by each amateur himself. All kháçah, home-bred, kotal deer, and those of His Majesty’s hunting-ground, have each one keeper. The fighting deer of the sets have one keeper for every two; the single last one has a keeper for itself. Nothing is given for grass. Deer which are given to people to have them fattened, get 1½ s. grain, and ½ d. for grass. They have one keeper for every four; but one for every two, if they are fit to become kháçah. Some deer are also sent to other towns; they get 1½ s. grain, and have each one keeper. If deer are newly caught, they get no regular food for seven days, after which they get ½ s. of grain for a fortnight. They then get 1 s., and when one month is over, 1½ s. In the deer park, Mançabdárs, Ahadís, and other soldiers are on staff-employ. The pay of foot-soldiers varies from 80 to 400 d.