1 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS. 81
2 kee in order to satisfy their demands, and get rid
3 of their importunity.
4 His excuse for not attacking that insulated post,
5 was, that he wanted to fight the Commander-in-
6 chief, and considered any one else as below his
7 notice!! Others asserted that his forbearance
8 arose from ‘the supposition that the cantonments
9 had been filled with mines, since the desertion of
10 them by the British.
11 Whatever the real cause may have been, it was Fortunate not
12 most fortunate that the Sikh army on crossing the eee.
13 Sutlej did not march on Feerozpore; for the least
14 they could have done, would be to burn the barracks
15 and officers’ bungalows, and plunder the bazaars,
16 Great consternation prevailed among the inhabi-
17 tants of the city, which would have fallen an easy
18 prey to the Sikhs, and become the scene of pillage
19 and outrage ; for which the Khalsas, and particularly
20 the Ukhalies, have been always so celebrated.. Had
21 Runjeet Singh been ruler of the Punjab at the time
22 of the Sikh invasion, his first act on crossing ‘the
23 Sutlej would have been to send the Ukhalies to
24 burn and pillage every town and village belonging
25 to the British or under their protection; and it is
26 unaccountable why this mode of proceeding was
27 neglected. We are almost tempted to believe that
28 the Sikh leaders wished to keep their troops to~
29 gether, in order that the British might have a full
30 and fair opportunity of destroying them! The
31 Sirdar Lal Singh left Lahore unwillingly, and no
32 doubt wished to get back as speedily as possible ;
33 VOL, IL 6