Page 411 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

MILLE CERF. 423

were made in like manner, but not with
rings equal success,
and roebucks killed. As the
only fifty stags being emperor
was riding after a roebuck his horse slipped his foot and fell,
but his Majesty received no hurt. The 25th the emperor set
out an hour before day for Ulatay, a place famous for hunting,
the neighbouring country being full of hills interspersed with
and and covered with and thickets,
valleys plains, groves
a and with
affording delightful prospect, abounding game.
In the morning he killed two large stags decoyed by the call ;
afterwards made two and killed a
they rings very great number,
his Majesty striking nine with his own hand. The 26th at
daybreak the emperor went to hunt with the stag-call. In a
small plain a league from the camp we perceived three large
stags walking not far from us, whereupon his Majesty alighted
and ordered them to call the stag. The male answered ; but
the emperor making a little noise as he advanced with the
person who carried the stag's head before him, the beasts dis-
covered the snare, and ran away before they came within
musket-shot. This not made two
succeeding, they rings,
wherein killed of
they upwards fifty stags and a few roebucks,
with five wild boars, but the high wind obliged us to return
to the The 29th we continued in the but
early camp. camp,
the set out for a in the mountains,
emperor by daybreak place
noted for a number of
prodigious great stags.
called Ulastay,
The hunting began with the stag-call, and his Majesty killed
two ones. Towards noon a was made, in which
very large ring
above were slain, with or ten roebucks, so that a
ninety eight
hundred and two of both sorts were to the
brought camp
the emperor himself killed thirty- six in a short time. It was
a pastime worthy of a prince to behold these stags descending
in herds on all sides into a narrow vale between two
very
steep, woody mountains, and, as there was no passage out, some
endeavoured to reascend the mountains, and others forced their
the hunters, whom
way through they sometimes threw off their
horses. However, as the ring was double and very close, his
had
Majesty given leave to his officers and hunters to shoot all
that came near them, so that scarce one One of the
escaped.
pages of the bed-chamber being very near the emperor his horse
pranced and threw him down at the instant he was shooting at
a so that he would have killed one of his
stag, companions if
VOL. n. L 2