1 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS. 309
2 CHAPTER XIV.
3 Tue Sikh government had sent orders to the Orders issued
4 killadars of Kote Kangta and other hill forts in the "™* ™¥*
5 Jalindhur Doab, to deliver them up to the British
6 authorities.
7 At first a message to this effect was dispatched by Determined
8 some horsemen, but the killadar of Kote Kangra paid mused on te
9 no attention to the order. He despised the Sikh ried of
10 government, and though by the articles of the
11 treaty, the latter had surrendered a portion of the
12 Punjab, this man vowed that “unless the Maharajah
13 Runjeet Singh himself came to demand the keys,
14 he would keep possession of his stronghold.”
15 The fort of Kangra is one of those which is strong
16 strong from its position : it is built near the conflux fie tor.
17 of the Ban Gunga with the Beas, and is bounded,
18 for the most part, by precipices nearly perpendicular;
19 and where the declivities are less formidable, the
20 aid of masonry has been had recourse to, so as to
21 render the place, in the opinion of Vigne, impregna-
22 ble under European engineers. It was once attacked