1 74 INTRODUCTION.
2 od thit plaoe^ I had NoeiTed oidan to retum to the British provinoM^
3 ind had ttmounoed my lecill to the King. Ifc was, however* neoef^
4 nij to wait Hia M^esty's answer, and also to settle with the Sika
5 about a passage through their territories, which, at first, they positire-
6 Ij refused. This occasioned a halt of ten days ; during which time,
7 I W9B Tisited by some chiefs of the neighbourhood, and received a lei^
8 ter Jrom the Sultan of the Guckers, aceompanied by a vast quaatil^
9 of grapes, which grow wild in his country. The Guckers are>wdl.
10 known for the trouble they used to occasion to the great Mbguls.
11 They once possessed the whole country between the Indus and lly-
12 daspes, but have been driven out by the Siks. They have still a high
13 military reputation.
14 I also receiv ed a visit from Moolla Jaffer, who liad come with the
15 King's ha ram to Attock, whence they were to fly to the Sik coun-
16 try, if the Kiii L^'s affairs took an unfavourable tnrn.
17 8()( >ti iitter, 1 received my answer from the King ; and, every thing
18 being settled with the Siks, T was preparing to commence niy march,
19 when one night I was surprised to hear that the peesh khauneh or ad-
20 vanced tents of the haram had arrived close to camp. This boded no
21 good, and reports were soon circulated th^ the King had been de-
22 feated.
23 The next day showed a great change in the state ol' atlans, the re-
24 port being now generally believed. All the King's partisans were
25 depressed, while some adversaries of his started up where they were
26 litde eiqpected.
27 MooQa Jaflkr. arrived m Ihe ooune this day* and produced a let*-
28 ter fiom the King ; in which* he 8aid» that his troops had hdiaVcd
29 with fidelity, hat that he was defeated; that sncfa. and sncfa chiefi
30 were sale; and Uiat no expense was to be spared in conveying the
31 haram to a place of secority. It turned out, that the army was at*
32 tacked by a small fiwoe under Tntteh Khaim, as it was straggling ofi»
33 mixed with the baggage». after a very long march through the moun^
34 tains. Hie King and Akram Khaun; were in the rear ; bot the ktteri
35 who had his aruKmr on, rode strai^ to the scene of action. He had
36 not above one or two fanndied men when he set out, and moat of
37 Digitized by Google