The body-guards were three, the _Muteferrika_, the _Solaks_, and the _Peiks_. The _Muteferrika_, or Noble Guard, consisted of from one to two hundred of the choicest graduates from the page schools and of sons of high officials.[456] Among them, in 1575, were brothers of the _Voivodes_ of Wallachia and Moldavia. The _Muteferrika_ followed immediately after the sultan on horseback, and in time of battle were ready to defend him to the end. The _Solaks_ were veteran Janissary archers, to the number of about one hundred and fifty, who marched on foot beside the sultan wherever he went, with bows and arrows ready for instant use. The _Peiks_ were a picturesque company of halberdiers of about one hundred men,[457] which had been taken over, arms, costumes, and all, from the Byzantine emperors. They ran in front of the sultan when he rode, and were always ready to be sent on missions. The palace-guards were the _Kapujis_, the _Chaushes_, and the _Bostanjis_. The _Kapujis_, or gatekeepers, were _Ajem-oghlans_ who, to the number of three or four hundred,[458] watched the outside gates of the principal palace and of the palace of the harem. Like all the other guards, they accompanied the sultan to war, where they were the guards of his tent. The _Chaushes_, who numbered about one hundred,[459] were ushers who acted as marshals on the days of Divan and of state ceremony, and who in time of war dressed the ranks of the troops.[460] They also acted as messengers of state within the empire. When a distant officer had been condemned to death, a _Chaush_ was sent to execute the sentence and bring back the offender’s head.[461] Since among the _Chaushes_ there were many renegades who knew various European languages, they were useful as interpreters and were sometimes sent as envoys on important missions.[462] The _Bostanjis_, or gardeners, were _Ajem-oghlans_, and as such have been mentioned already. To the number of about four hundred,[463] they cared for the garden and grounds of the principal palace, and rowed the sultan’s caiques when he wished to enjoy the matchless scenery of the Bosphorus. Their chief, the _Bostanji-bashi_, who had risen from their ranks, seems to have been the only adult man besides the sultan who resided within the inner regions of the palace.[464] His general charge over all the sultan’s gardens, wherever they might be, included oversight of the banks and shores of the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmora, and the Dardanelles.[465] This gave him great power, and his favor was much courted.