Travels in India (Tavernier) 152.2.6

152.2.6

These two old women entered by a miserable door, and it had for enclosure only a kind of palisade, with earth mixed with cow dung between the posts. I observed that nothing was brought back of what he sent by these women, this made me conclude that I should stick to the price. Thus I sold him profitably what he took from me, and I was paid at once. After having drunk a cup of sherbet (while my brother drank spirits with the King) we took leave of him, and he made us promise that, on the following day towards evening, we should return to see him, because he wished to show me a dagger which he was having made after the Turkish fashion, but he had not got sufficient diamonds to cover the handle, and he desired that I should procure enough to finish it. We withdrew then with our money to the dwelling of the English, who were much astonished that the King had disbursed 20,000 rupees, saying that they believed it was the greatest part of his treasure. On the following day my brother and I went to see the King again at the hour which he had fixed for us, and we found him seated in the same place where he had been on the preceding day. A Mulla read and interpreted to him something from the Koran, which was in Arabic. The reading being finished, the King and the Mulla rose to pray, which having been concluded, the King sent for the dagger, the handle and sheath of which were of gold.