1 RUNJRET SINGH TO NOO NEHAL SINGH. 93
2 an unforeseen difficulty now awaited him; he
3 soon found himself egregiously mistaken in his
4 fancied control over the actions of Noo Nehal
5 Singh. This prince also had his favourites and
6 confidential advisers, who were alike opposed
7 to the Rajah and his family, with the advantage
8 of ability equal to the Rajah himself, backed
9 by the young prince’s power and firmness of
10 character.
11 His influence consequently became less than
12 ever, and for a time he was scarcely permitted to
13 take any share whatever in state affairs. To a
14 minister so long accustomed to the sweets of
15 power, this false position became scarcely sup-
16 portable. Through the medium of his son, the
17 Rajah Heera Singh, between whom and the Prince
18 Noo Nehal Singh an intimacy had sprung up,
19 and which Dhyan Singh encouraged by every
20 means in his power, he succeeded in re-establish-
21 ing his position in the council, but never to the
22 extent he had enjoyed under Runjeet Singh, or
23 even under Kurruck Singh. The court of Lahore
24 under its new ruler now became the seat of de-
25 bauchery and intrigue. Secret and even pecu-
26 niary overtures were made by Noo Nehal Singh
27 to the Courts of Nepaul, Caubul, and almost every
28 other native power, to induce them to rise against
29 the British from all quarters simultaneously.
30 Upon one occasion he became so excited, when