1 148 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
2 Difficult to Such are the fortunate results, which, in war,
3 calculate a ie
4 events in war. Sometimes arise from what at first appear untoward
5 events, and which are hardly within the sphere
6 of calculation. Nor were those the only happy
7 accidents. :
8 The position of the Sikhs at Sobraen, entrenched
9 Another strongly, and covered by their guns across the
10 striking
11 instance of river, with a bridge at command, whereby they
12 good fortune, : Pe
13 from supposed could transport their implements of war to the left
14 fvente bank of the river, was looked upon as formidable in
15 the extreme. Those who had read of the desperate
16 resistance offered to troops crossing large rivers in
17 Dreaded pas- the face of the enemy, naturally dreaded the passage
18 sage of the Aan . . « .
19 Sutlej. of the Sutlej, if they did not consider it an impos-
20 sibility. They had no fears that victory would
21 ever decide for the Sikhs on either bank, provided
22 the British were once in the Punjab; but how to
23 get there was the point. Now, had the most
24 skilful means for securing this dreaded passage, in
25 Untoward the face of a determined foe like the Sikhs, been
26 events may be
27 tumedto” devised, they could not have effected the purpose
28 advantage s9 completely as the very act of the enemy itself
29 did: and the tactics of a general must be admitted
30 to be of no ordinary kind, when he can tum events,
31 considered by common minds unfortunate, so
32 entirely to the advantage of his own arms.
33 Another One more link in the chain of seemingly unfor-
34 seemingly, tunate occurrences, must not be passed over. Had
35 event.
36 the large guns been at command when the Sikhs
37 were constructing their bridge, there is every pro-
38 bability that it would have been destroyed, and the