King Rostevan and Avtandil Go Hunting

## Chapter Chronology

**King Rostevan and Avtandil Go Hunting** (Georgian: **როსტევან მეფისაგან და ავთანდილისაგან ნადირობა**) is the second chapter of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*. In the chapter, King Rostevan and Avtandil compete with each other in hunting.

## Plot

At daybreak, Avtandil arrived on his white horse. King Rostevan got ready, mounted his horse, and they went hunting. The soldiers surrounded the field, and the two men began shooting arrows.

The king ordered twelve of his servants to bring him and Avtandil bows and arrows, and to count the number of throws and hits. As soon as he finished speaking, huge herds of deer, goats, onagers, and gazelles began running into the field from all sides. Rostevan and Avtandil chased them down, their horses' hooves kicking up clouds of dust. They killed so many animals that the field turned crimson. The spectators were especially astounded by Avtandil.

The remaining animals ran towards the edge of the field, where there was a stream and a thick forest. The animals fled into the forest, which was too dense to ride through on horseback. Both Rostevan and Avtandil were tired, so they headed back. They joked, laughed, and teased each other the whole way.

When they returned, King Rostevan asked the servants for the results. The servants replied that even if the king were to kill them all, they could not hide the truth: both men had killed more than two hundred prey, but Avtandil had killed twenty more than the king. Not only that, Avtandil had not missed a single shot, while the king had missed several.

King Rostevan was overjoyed and relieved. He had raised a powerful and skilled warrior. He and Avtandil sat under the trees to cool down and gazed at the stream and forest.

## Characters

* Avtandil
* Rostevan
* 24 soldiers/servants
* Spectators

## Notes

1. ↑ According to Alex Chincharauli, it's possible that Rostevan and Avtandil were competing in hitting a target before starting the actual hunting.

"Prologue"

1. "The Story of King Rostevan, The King of Arabs"
2. "**King Rostevan and Avtandil Go Hunting**"
3. "The King of the Arabs Sees the Knight in the Panther Skin"
4. "Tinatin Sends Avtandil to Look for the Knight"
5. "Avtandil's Letter to His Vassals"
6. "Avtandil Sets Forth in Quest of the Knight"
7. "Avtandil Tells His Story to Asmat"
8. "The Meeting of Tariel and Avtandil"
9. "Tariel Tells His Story to Avtandil"
10. "The Story of Tariel's Falling in Love"
11. "First Letter Written by Nestan-Darejan to Her Beloved"
12. "First Letter Written by Tariel to His Beloved"
13. "Tariel Writes a Letter and Sends a Man to the Khatavians"
14. "Nestan-Darejan Summons Tariel"
15. "The Letter by the King of the Khatavians to Tariel"
16. "Tariel's Tryst with Nestan-Darejan"
17. "Tariel's Departure for Khataeti and Great War"
18. "Tariel's Letter to the Indian King and His Triumphant Return"
19. "The Letter of Nestan-Darejan Written to Her Beloved"
20. "Tariel Laments and then Faints"
21. "Tariel's Letter in Answer to His Beloved"
22. "The Council Concerning Nestan-Darejan's Marriage"
23. "Tariel and Nestan-Darejan Discuss Her Marriage"
24. "The Arrival of the Bridegroom and His Slaying by Tariel"
25. "Tariel Hears Tidings of the Disappearance of Nestan-Darejan"
26. "Nuradin-Phridon's Story"
27. "Tariel's Aid to Phridon"
28. "Phridon Tells Tariel Tidings of Nestan-Darejan"
29. "The Story of Avtandil's Return to Arabia"
30. "Avtandil's Request to the King and the Vizier's Entreaty"
31. "Avtandil's Discourse with Shermadin"
32. "The Testament of Avtandil for King Rostevan Before He Secretly Left"
33. "Avtandil's Prayer"
34. "King Rostevan Hears of Avtandil's Secret Flight"
35. "Avtandil's Second Departure to Meet Tariel"
36. "Avtandil Finds Tariel"
37. "Tariel Tells How He Killed a Panther and a Lion"
38. "Tariel and Avtandil Return to the Cave and See Asmat"
39. "Avtandil Goes to See Phridon"
40. "Avtandil Comes to Phridon's After He Parted from Tariel"
41. "Avtandil Goes to Seek Nestan-Darejan and Meets a Caravan"
42. "The Story of Avtandil's Arrival in Gulansharo"
43. "Patman Becomes Enamoured of Avtandil"
44. "Patman's Letter of Love to Avtandil"
45. "Avtandil's Letter in Response to Patman"
46. "Patman Tells Avtandil the Story of Nestan-Darejan"
47. "The Story of the Capture of Nestan-Darejan by the Kajis"
48. "The Letter Written by Patman to Nestan-Darejan"
49. "The Letter Written by Nestan-Darejan to Patman"
50. "The Letter Written by Nestan-Darejan to Her Beloved"
51. "Avtandil's Letter to Phridon"
52. "Avtandil's Departure from Gulansharo and Meeting with Tariel"
53. "Tariel and Avtandil Go to Phridon"
54. "Phridon's Counsel"
55. "Avtandil's Counsel"
56. "Tariel's Counsel"
57. "Tariel's Visit to the King of the Seas"
58. "The Wedding of Tariel and Nestan-Darejan Held by Phridon"
59. "The Three Knights Go to the Cave and Then to Arabia"
60. "The Wedding of Avtandil and Tinatin by the King of the Arabs"
61. "Tariel Learns of the Death of the King of India"
62. "Tariel's Arrival in India and the Defeat of the Khatavians"
63. "The Wedding of Tariel and Nestan-Darejan"

"Epilogue"