Part in. Travels into thelNBlES. 
77 
Towers be good, yet that is not the thing that makes it accounted the 
ftrongeft place belonging to the Mogul : It is an Hill of an oval Figure, which A Hill in DoI- 
the Town encompaffes on all fides, ftrongly Fortified, and having a Wall ^'»^^^ fortified, 
of a natural fmooth Rock, that environs iiNat the bottom, with a good Ci- 
tidel on the top , whereon the Kings Palace^ (lands. This is all I could fee 
from the place, where I was without the 1 own : But I learnt afterwards 
from a Frenchman who had lived two years therein -, that befides the Cita- 
del, there are three other Forts in the Place , at the foot of the Hill, of Banof. 
which one is called Barcot, the other Marcot^ and the third Calacet. The ç^^^'JJ'; 
word Cot in Indian, fignifies a Fort -, and by reafon of all thefe Fortifica- " ° 
tions, the Indians think that place Impregnable. I fpent two hours and a 
half in coming from Doltabadto Jurangeahad, which are but two Leagues and 
a half diftant. This was the third time that I croffed this laft Town, and 
about an hour after^ came to the place where my company Encamped : 
They waited onlv foRi Billet from the Cuftomcr, to be gone, but it could 
not be had that day^ becaufe it was Friday, and the Cuftomer (who was a 
Mahomttan) obferved that day with great exa£tnefs. 
It is threcfcore Leagues and more from Aurangeabad to Cahar^ which is Calvarl 
the laft Bourg or Village belonging to the Mogul, on the Frontiers of the 
Kingdom ot~ Golcondci. We found eight Towns, great and fmall, before 
we came to Calvar, to wit, Ambar, Achty, Lafana, Nander, Ufa, Dantapour, 
Indour, Condehaly, a.nd In de hay ; and that Countrey is fo Populous, that we 
continually met with Bourgs and Villages on our way. An hour and an 
halfs march from Aurangeabad, we encamped under the biggeft ?F<?r-tree, a fair War, 
that I have fccn in the Indies : It is exceedingly high, hath Ibme branches 
ten Fathom long, and the circumference of it, is above three hundred of 
my paces. The branches of it are fo loaded with Pigeons , that it were 
an eafie matter to fill a great many Pigeon-houfes with them, if one durft 
rake them ; but that is forbidden, becaufe they are preferved for the Prince's 
pleafure. There is a Pagod under that TreCj and many Tombs, and hard 
by a Garden planted with Citron-trees. 
- W e faw a ftately Tanquie at the Town of Ambar, it is fquare, and on ^mbar. 
three fides faced with Free-ftone, with fair fteps to go down to it : In the 
middle of the fourth fide there is a Divan, that runs out into the W^ater 
about two Fathom -, it is covered with Stone, and fupported by fixteen Pil- 
lars a Fathom high : It ftands at the foot of a fair Houfe, from whence 
they go down into that Divan, by two fine pair of Stairs at the fides of it, 
there to take the Air and Divert themfelves.Near the Divan there is a little 
Pagod under Ground, which receives day-light by the door , and by â 
fquare airie, and many Devout People are there, becaufe of the conveni- 
ence of the Water. On the Road we met with a great many Troopers who 
were going to Aurangeabad, where there was a Rendcz-vous appointed for 
an Army, which was to march againft rïz,iaponr. 
Five Leagues from the Town of Nander, near a Village called Patoda, Nander. 
we had the Diverfion of feeing Feats of Agility of Body : There was a Extraordinary 
great concourfe of People, and we had a place given us, on an Eminence, feats of Agility 
under the fliade of a great Tree, from whence we might eafily fee all the 
Plays. The Tumblers did all that thé Rope-dancers of Europe do^ and 
much more : Thefe People are a fupple as an Eel, they'll turn their "whole 
body into a Bowl, and then others rowl them with the hand. The fineft 
tricks were performed by a Girl of thirteen or fourteen years of Age ]^ who 
Played tor the fpace of two hours and more. This amongft other Feats of 
Agility which Ihedid, appeared tome extreamly difficult: She fat down 
upon the Ground, holding crofs-ways in her Mouth a long cutting Sword ; 
with the right Hand fhc took hold of her left Foot , brought it up to her 
Breaft, then to her left fide, and without letting go that Foot, flie put her 
Head underneath her right Arm, and at the fame time , brought her Fobt 
down along the fmall of her Back : Then fhe made it pafs under her fitting, 
and over the right Leg four or five times without refting , being always 
in danger of cutting her Arm or Leg with the edge of the Sword : And fhc 
did the fame thing with the left Hand and right Foot. 
Whifft 
