Hawksworth gingerly approached her and began unwrapping the paper. No sooner was the cane in view than Kumada nipped it deftly from his hand with a flourish of her trunk. She popped the cane into her mouth and flapped her ears with obvious pleasure as she cracked it with her immense teeth. For a second Hawksworth thought he caught a flash of appreciation in her eyes. He paused a moment, then walked close enough to stroke the heavy skin at her neck. "She'll not forget you now, Ambassador." Nadir Sharif was feeding his own elephant. "It's said these animals have a memory longer than a man's." Hawksworth vaulted into the _howdah _and the entire world suddenly seemed to shudder as her mahout signaled Kumada to rise. He seized the railing surrounding him and gasped as she rumbled to her feet. "You'll soon ride like a Rajput, Ambassador." The elephant rocked into motion. It was worse than heavy weather at sea. "I think it may take practice." "Women from the _zenana _ride elephants all the way to Kashmir in the summer. I'm sure you'll manage a two-day hunt." Nadir Sharif swung easily into his howdah. Around them other elephants were kneeling for nobles to mount. "Where will the hunt be?" "This time we're going west, out toward the old city of Fatehpur Sekri. But His Majesty has hunting preserves all over. In the neighborhood of Agra and near the small town of Delhi north of here, along the course of the Jamuna and reaching into the mountains, there is much uncultivated land. There are many places with grasses over six feet high and copse wood. This land is guarded with great care by the army, and no person, high or low, is allowed to hunt there except for partridge, quail, and hare--which are caught with nets. So the game-- nilgai, deer, antelope, _chitah_, tiger, even some lions--is plentiful. Some of His Majesty's hunting preserves may extend as far as ten _kos _in every direction--I believe that's around twenty of your miles." "You said preparations for the hunt had been underway for days?" "Of course. When His Majesty announces a _shikar_, a royal hunt, the grand master of the hunt in that particular location has to begin extensive preparations. The hunts now are usually a _qamargha_, which was invented by Akman." "What's that?"