1 The British troops
2 move to the Sutlej,
3 January 1809,
4 Sir David Ochter-
5 lony in command of
6 British forces,
7 He is hailed as a
8 deliverer by the chiefs
9 of Malwa and Sirhind.
10 Aversion of Ranjit
11 Singh to comply with
12 the envoy's proposals,
13 Attack on the
14 British escort at
15 Amritsar.
16 The fanatic Phula
17 Singh, Akali,
18 Behaviour of Ranjit
19 Singh on the occasion.
20 878 TISTORY OF THE PANJAB.
21 Phillour on the Sutlej, opposite the town of Ludhidnd, at the head of a large
22 force. In the meantime, Lord Minto determined upon advancing a detach~-
23 ment of British troops to the Sutlej to support the British envoy in his
24 negotiations with the Ldéhore ruler, and effectually confine Ranjit Singh
25 to the north of that river. This detachment, under command of Sir
26 David Ochterlony, crossed the Jamna on 16th January, 1809, it having
27 been formally declared that all the Sikhs on the south bank of the
28 Sutlej were under the protection of the British Government. The General
29 advanced by way of Burid, Patidld and Nabhd towards Ludhidnd, and
30 was welcomed by all the Sirhind chiefs. He restored Ambdla to Rani
31 Dia Kour, who waited on the British commander in person to thank his
32 Government for the generous act done to her. Rajds Sahib Singh and
33 Jaswant Singh received him with enthusiastic joy, and they were much
34 pleased at seeing British troops marching through their territories. He
35 then visited Maler Kotla, and reinstated the Pathan ruler in his dominions.
36 The advance of the British troops somewhat discomposed Ranjit Singh,
37 but he spared no device to evade compliance with the propositions of the
38 envoy. In the meantime, General Ochterlony strengthened his position at
39 Ludhidnd, which was occupied by British troops. While these transactions
40 were going on, an incident occurred at Amritsar which, though’ trivial in,
41 itself, had yet the effect of inspiring the Lahore ruler with profound respect
42 for the power of his English neighbours, and created in him an impulse to
43 imitate European military discipline. It happened that, while Mr. Met-
44 calfe was at Amritsar, the Moharram festival, sacred to the Mahomedans,
45 was celebrated, The Hindostdéni soldiers of that persuasion, in the suite
46 and escort of the envoy, began to celebrate the festival with the rites and
47 solemnities peculiar to the occasion. A procession of tdézids, or a display
48 of artificial tombs of Hassan and Husein, sons of Ali, was made, and
49 the biers carried through the city with bands playing. As this noisy
50 procession, with all its pomp, passed the quarters of the Akzlis, or immortals,
51 of the Sikh military priests, attached to the Golden Temple, the fanatics
52 looked upon it as an insult to their religion and their sacred city. They
53 were headed by a fierce desperado, named Phula Singh, the Akdli who
54 afterwards figured so promiuently in the history of Ranjit’s early exploits.
55 As the Moslem procession advanced, these fanatics opened fire upon them
56 with their matchlocks, and broke, their model sepulchres to pieces. The
57 Hindostdni soldiers, though greatly overmatched in numbers by the Sikhs,
58 were not disposed to submit quietly to such treatment. They at once
59 seized the arms of their assailants, and entered into a sort of regular engage-
60 ment with them. A fierce struggle ensued, in which the Sikhs were
61 completely routed by the mere handful of men which, though, in respect of
62 numbers it comprised only two companies of native soldiers and sixteen
63 troopers, was, nevertheless, composed entirely of disciplined soldiers, together
64 with the escort of the British envoy. Ranjit Singh, who was then in his fort
65 of Govindgarh, was a witness of this close contest, and of the defeat which
66 his “immortals” sustained. Hearing of the tumult, he hastened from his
67 residence in the fort while the fight was still going on, whirled his hand-
68 kerchief asasign for peace, and proceeded to Mr. Metcalfe’s tent to apologize
69 to him for the conduct of the Akdlis, some of whom were nominally pun-
70 ished. He complimented ihe envoy on the bravery displayed by the small
71 band of his escort, and expressed his high admiration of their discipline and
72 order. The Hindosténi sepoys were, with the envoy’s permission, fully
73 compensated for the damage done to them. The outrage was, of course, an.
74 Sri Satgura TagitS indi efapAtigism, and had as ReMi iesbRiy ES GineAL com had the