Page 410 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

KEEN-LUNG.
422

be made ready, it being the custom of the Tartars to sup very
He himself dressed the liver of the he had killed,
early. stag
this and the haunch being esteemed here as the most delicate
pieces.
"The 17th the weather was rainy, which prevented the
from a
emperor going stag-hunting.
"
The 18th the weather being cloudy the emperor did not
hunt with the stag-call, but made some rings and had very
good sport.
"The 19th the emperor set out at daybreak to go stag-
but lost some time in of a to no
hunting, having pursuit tiger,
it became too late to use the
purpose, stag-call ; however, in
three rings thirty or forty stags and roebucks were killed.
"
The 20th at daybreak we set out along with the emperor
to hunt with the stag-call. As the stag would not answer the
call, we had recourse to rings, and killed a great number of
stags and roebucks, with five wild boars, three of which last
fell by the hand of the emperor. The 21st, the emperor
having hunted with the stag-call without success, sent for five
hundred Korchin Mongols, in whose neighbourhood we were ;
they are reckoned excellent hunters, and very expert in
forming circles; and as they bear their own expenses, and
use their own horses, the to
emperor, fatigue them the less,
divided them into two which were alter-
companies, employed
This made double the innermost was
nately. day they rings,
composed of Mongol hunters, the second consisted of the
emperor's hunters, who marched fifty or sixty paces behind
the others, and had orders to shoot the that out
game escaped
of the first ring, within which the prickers beat the thickest
places of the wood. The Mongol hunters did not shoot at all.
The was made on the of a mountain covered
ring declivity
with wood ; at the bottom was a with some small
grassy plain
filbert trees interspersed, which were no impediment to the
horses. Beyond this was a steep mountain, which no wounded
stag that escaped out of the wood could climb ; but being
obliged to keep the plain, was exposed to the shot of the
hunters. In a
place so commodious for sport it could not fail
to be both successful and
agreeable, and they killed eighty-two
and few
large stags roebucks, very escaping. His Majesty
dined in the
open field with the usual ceremonies. The 23rd,