98 The King of Vijayanagara is often at war with the king of Deccan and the King of Orissa, who is another gentile king, and whose kingdom is far into the interior. They are always doing each other as much harm as they can. The King of Vijayanagara rarely goes to war in person, instead he sends his captains and people, and when it reaches the point at which he feels it necessary to go in person, and following a council meeting in which they decide he should go, on the appointed day, the king goes out to the country as if he were going for pleasure, on either an elephant or in a litter, each finely adorned with gold and precious stones and accompanied by many people on horseback and on foot. Many domesticated elephants are also led in front of him. They are wellgroomed and covered in scarlet and silk blankets. When he reaches the countryside, he is given a horse on which he gallops off, with a bow and arrow in his hand. Hefires the arrow towards the kingdom he is going to fight against, and right there and then names the day on which he will set forth. News of this spreads through the city and the entire kingdom. He leaves immediately and sets up his camp in the countryside, where he waits for the appointed day for his departure. When the day comes, he orders that it be cried out around the town that everyone should prepare themselves, their wives, children and property. And he sends them all out like this, because he claims that the obligation of having their wives, children and property there will make them fight better. He pays them all handsomely, especially the single women who they take in large numbers. They are the leading and most respected women, rich and beautiful, for whose cause, those who are in love with them willfight all the better to serve them. They include many of those most intimate with the king, who travel in great style on account of their wealth. Each of these leading ladies bringsfive of six pretty maidens with her, who have been given to her to raise, and who they always take with them to court, where they are set up on a good salary, and which they consider to be a great honour. They are so rich, that when a short time ago one of them
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