1 THE SUKERCHAKIA MISL, 343
2 meet the Sukerchakia leader with large presents, but this did not satisfy the
3 avaricious chief. He ordered his troops to plunder the place, an order
4 which they carried out with the greatest alacrity. The city and palace of
5 Jammu were then burnt. They laid waste the whole country, so that, in a
6 short time, a most grievous famine broke out, which extended throughout
7 the length and breadth of the land. Nor did the young Sukerchakia
8 sardar keep faith with hisnew ally, Hakikat Singh. Now that the raj
9 was out of the way, he perceived that it would be an easy matter for him to
10 undertake the sole management of the operations. This idea was no sooner
11 conceived than it was carried into effect, to the surprise and disgust of
12 Hakikat and his party. Hakikat Singh died shortly after this affair, and
13 the thirst for revenge died with him. ;
14 The Dewali festival then coming on (1784), Maha Singh visited Amrit-
15 sar, to perform his ablutions in the holy tank of Darbar Sahib, which had
16 been restored by the Ramgarhias. The wealth accumulated by Maha
17 Singh at Jammu greatly irritated the Bhangi sardars, who longed for an
18 opportunity to take advantage of the weakness of the Jammu family, and
19 excited a strong jealousy in the mind of Jay Singh, Kanhia, once the
20 guardian and ally of Maha Singh. The youthful chief had every apparent
21 regard for his old mentor, but the hoary-headed sardar, like a vulture, had
22 scented a carcass, and nothing short of dining on it would satisfy him. Maha
23 Singh, to pacify the old man, even assumed the demeanour of an inferior,
24 and approached him with a tray of sweetmeats in his hands, but the Kanhia
25 sardar would not receive him. He instantly stretched himself out on his
26 couch, and drawing a sheet over him, shouted: “Go away, you Bhagtia
27 (dancing boy); I don’t want to hear your sentimental talk.” This was too
28 much to be borne in silence by so haughty and impervious a young chief
29 as Mahaé Singh was. He withdrew in great indignation at the rude
30 treatment shown him by the Kanhia chief, aud resolved upon revenge, but he
31 knew that Amritsar, where the Kanhia’s power reigned supreme, would be
32 no appropriate place for the accomplishment of his object. He accordingly
33 managed to effect his escape from the sacred city, attended by a few sawars,
34 and, having returned home in safety, sent his agents to Jassa Singh, Ram-
35 garhia, who had fled across the Sutlej after his defeat by the allied forces of
36 the Kanhia and Ahluwalia mzsls. The sardar was invited to co-operate
37 with him, in his action against the Kanhias; and hopes were held out to
38 him, of his recovering his lost possessions on this side of the Sutlej in case
39 of success in the venture. Jassa Singh was at that time living in the
40 wastes of Haénsi and Hissar, as a very successful freebooter, and, being con-
41 vinced of the sincerity of Maha Singh’s offer, he lost no time in returning to
42 the Panjéb with as large a force as he could collect.
43 What the old Kanhia chief was doing in the interim, deserves a passing
44 notice. As soon as he had heard of the fall of Jammu, and the death of
45 Hakikat Singh, he prevented Jeymal Singh, son of Hakikat Singh, from
46 proceeding to Gujranwala, whither he had been summotied by Maha Singh.
47 The Sukerchakia chief was threatened with vengeance. In 1783 Jandiala
48 was attacked, and this was followed by the sack of Rassilpur and Mandiald.
49 The possessions of Wazir Singh and Bhagwan Singh, the Ndkai chiefs, the
50 connections of Maha Singh, were then attacked, and the sardars were
51 compelled to submit. But, in a struggle which took place about the same
52 time, near Majithia, between the Sukerchakias and the Kanhias, Jay Singh
53 was less fortunate. Not only were his troops routed, but he was compelled
54 to fly from Majithia and take refuge across the Bids. He was making
55 preparatiqus on an pxtengive it in the Jalandar Doab, to repes. war
56 ri Satguru J agjit Singh J! eLibrary Namdhari
57 Ravages committed.
58 Mahé Sing puts off
59 Hakikat Singh,
60 Breach of friendship
61 between Mahé Singh
62 and Jay Singh, Kanhia.
63 Au insult offered to
64 the 5ukerchakia chief,
65 Who invites Jassa
66 Singh, Ramgarhia,
67 from across the Sutlej
68 to his aid.
69 The proceedings of
70 the Kanhia chief.
71 He makes an attack
72 on the Sukerchakia
73 possessions.
74 Is defeated near
75 *Majithia.
76 brary@ gmail.com