1 m HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
2 British certainly were great warriors, against vdioim
3 no enemy could stand, but in their political
4 arrangements, they appeared often to mistake the
5 character of the people they had to deal with.
6 This remark he illustrated by referring to the
7 organization and management of our own troops,
8 instancing the mutiny of the 47th regiment.
9 Native Infantry, at Barrakpore, " How did it
10 happen," he would ask, S( with troops receiving
11 regular pay and pensions, and commanded by
12 British.officers; while an occurrence of the kind
13 nevev takes place in my army, the soldiers of
14 which are often six months in arrears, and receive
15 no pensions ?”
16 Acting on the firm treaty of alliance, which
17 existed ■ between the two governments, Runjeet
18 offered to aid the British, not. only in allowing a
19 free passage through his dominions to Captain
20 Wade and the Prince Timoor, but by furnishing a
21 Sikh contingent to co-operate with the .British
22 troops in forcing the Khyber Pass.
23 We are inclined to believe, that while thus
24 cordially aiding us in our attempts, he almost
25 ridiculed the expense his allies were about to in cm
26 for such a worthless object; and yet, the idea that
27 the British, and not himself, should be the con¬
28 querors of Affghanistan, disturbed him, and. he
29 even shed tears when he heard of the victorious
30 progress of our army, though seeming thereby to
31 express his joy at our success. This apparent
32 inconsistency may not be very clearly, understood