1 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS. 29
2 dismay ; not a gun was fired, though Heera Singh
3 was scen urging the gunners with a lighted match
4 in his hand. Thus died the brave Soochet Singh,
5 displaying a degree of desperate courage worthy
6 of his high name. His wives, to the number
7 of forty-five, hurned themselves with his body.
8 Eleven women immolated themselves with Kesree
9 Singh, five with Busunth Singh, and eleven with
10 Nehal Singh. There is a temple or school, near
11 where the action took place, named Burumeeahka
12 Dursut, and the Rajah was actually reading the
13 Grunth there, when informed that the Sikhs were
14 advancing against him; he wrote with his own
15 hand on the book that “his head and his name
16 should fall with him.” He left behind him no off-
17 spring. :
18 Thus in a short space of time, the two brothers of
19 the Jummoo family had fallen: one only remained,
20 namely Goolab ‘Singh, who was destined to act a g,.jah Singh.
21 conspicuous part in the Punjab. He was the
22 eldest of the three, and inferior to his younger
23 brothers Dhyan Singh and Soochet Singh in talent;
24 his manners were those of a warrior, but not
25 softened down by intercourse with the Court of
26 Lahore as were those of Dhyan Singh and Soochet
27 Singh. He was, also, accused of cruelty, and is character.
28 according to Vigne, he sometimes “flayed his
29 captives alive.” He was allowed, nevertheless, by
30 his enemies to possess some good qualities, among
31 the rest, that of keeping his promise, and he never
32 defrauded any one of what he had led them to