1 It iv true he promised hi* support to. the Sikhs, hut he
2 hesitated in fulfilling thorn as long as possible. A short time
3 previous to the last battle, at Sobraon, some hundreds of the
4 Sikh delegated punches (deputies) succeeded in drawing out thv
5 ‘‘.bear,’ - us they used to call him., from Juminoo, b'\, den. Under
6 the pre; xt of getting the. order front the rape® herself and'he
7 durbar, he went, accompanied by them, to Lahore. But this
8 was only done in order to procrastinate. Arrived it Lahore, 1
9 called on him, because we were well acquainted with each other,
10 and he asked me for my advuv how lie ought to act in that
11 critical position. He complained of the embarrassment lie was
12 in: “because," said lit, “the same Sikhs who murdered'my
13 brothers anti sons, and who. under Jewahir’s administration,
14 attempted my own lift, are now endeavouring to draw me into the
15 hold, in order to light against the English.” I advised him not
16 to mingle with the affair. This agreed with his views, the Sikhs
17 having already lost three battles; and it was more than probable
18 that the fourth, which must decide tie destiny of the country,
19 would be their last. The treacheries of the chiefs having been
20 well known to him, 1 made him aware how prudent it. would
21 be to demand the eighteen English prisoners at Pliiloor, arid to
22 send them to iriv house, which he did. .Meanwhile, the new*
23 of the defeat at Sobnion reached us, and that the English had
24 > ismd the Sutlej. They requested Gholab Sing to repair to
25 Kuasoor. lie despatched the English prisoners (among whom
26 there was Doctor Benet) op elephants into the English tump*
27 having previously made thent presents at tin durbnr ; and three
28 days after, Gholab King followed them.
29 He chose me to aecomnany him as a private counsellor; .it
30 the first, station, Kenekntch, about fourteen miles from Lahore,
31 we received news from the city which intimidated me. It
32 •was rumoured that the defeated Sikhs had collected the rest
33 of their troops, arid intended to kill their commander, the
34 traitor Teja Sing; and having done so, that tlu-y then in¬
35 tended to divide into 1 wo panics, one to march towards Lahore,
36 to plunder it, nod lake revenge on the ranee and her paramour;