1 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS. 201
2 terms, and endeavour to prevent the victorious Th onlyalter-
3 native left to
4 army from crossing the Sutlej; for the Lahore ioe talons
5 government never anticipated that the battle of
6 Sobraon would be the immediate signal for crossing
7 the river. :
8 The Ranee was, no doubt, alarmed, though she policy of the
9 foresaw from the commencement, what the issue ®@"
10 of the war would be; and, as far as lay in her
11 power, she endeavoured to provide for coming
12 events, by sending emissaries, in conjunction with
13 those of Goolab Singh, to the Governor-general
14 before Sobraon.
15 Summoned from Jummoo, by the Khalsa troops
16 and the Ranee, the Rajah Goolab Singh had been
17 sometime at. Lahore, when the crisis arrived which
18 he was expected to meet; and to him the Ranee
19 referred the danger of her position, and implored Asks the ad-
20 ; vice of Goolab
21 his advice. Singh.
22 We have already explained the wily policy of
23 Goolab Singh, and he was now to carry it through,
24 at whatever sacrifice on"the part of the Sikhs. He
25 was, in short, to become the mediator between the ye becomes
26 falling state of Lahore, and the victorious Governor. '* ™*ti#tor
27 general of India.
28 Not a moment was to be lost, in adopting mea- Endeavours to
29 sures for retarding the progress of the British army vance olde.
30 towards Lahore; for, once there, the Governor- eke!
31 general would dictate his own terms, and then the
32 Rajah’s position might, probably, not be an envi-
33 able one; at least, it would not be so agreeable as
34 he desired. He accordingly proceeded with all