VIZIER'S SPORTING. 155 



endeavoured, by closing into a circle, to surround 

 them ; if they succeeded in this, they lessened 

 the circle gradually, and an opening was made 

 close to the Vizier, like an inverted funnel, by 

 which contrivance his Highness and many of his 

 courtiers were enabled to fire at them, as they 

 attempted to make their escape, without risk of 

 hitting one another. Greyhounds were slipped 

 after such as were wounded, and the horsemen 

 gallopped after them. 



Thus the march was passed to the tents, where 

 they found refreshments ready prepared, of which 

 they partook immediately after undergoing ablu- 

 tion ; they then reposed until the evening : at 

 that time the men of consequence met in a very 

 large grand tent, unless the weather was very 

 hot, in which cases it was under a shumeeana 

 (awning), where they were amused with knotch- 

 ing (dancing), performed by ten or more sets of 

 dancing girls ; each set consisting of from four 

 to eight courtezans, and nearly the same number 

 of musicians, who always accompanied the Vizier 

 on these occasions. 



In this manner, from ten to fifteen or twenty 

 days were spent, before they arrived at the spot 



