1 4,20 HISTORY OF TUE PANSAB.
2 Dewdn Chand. Ranjit Singh had a passion for possessing any thing noted for
3 its beauty or excellence, and this feeling grew with age.to such a degree as
4 to amount almost to a monomania. In this instance, the horse was of a
5 snow-white colour (hence the name), and was noted for its rare beauty and
6 speed.
7 The Taziiri, cam- About this time, intelligence was brought of a rising of the Musalman
8 Puig, 1820: inhabitants of Hazird, Pulki, Dhamtor and Tarbela, Bhai Makkhan Singh,
9 who was sent there to restore order, was killed, and Hukma Singh Chimni,
10 the new governor sent from Léhore, had made matters worse. His conduct
11 had thoroughly exasperated the tribes, and the success which they had
12 achieved against the Sikhs at different times had given them confidence.
13 The Maharaja, on hearing this, wrote letters to Sardar Fatteh Singh, Ahluwalia,
14 and Rani Sada Kour, asking them to march forthwith, with their respective
15 troops, to the scene of rebellion. Dewan Ram Daydl, General Ilahi Bakhsh,
16 commandant of artillery, Shédm Singh, Atdriwala, Gandd Singh, Lammé,
17 Sheva Singh and Ahir Singh were also sent forward, under Prince Sher
18 Singh, who was put in charge of the whole expedition. Fatteh Singh, Ah-
19 luwalia, and other sardars of experience adopted moderate measures of
20 punishment in reference to the refractory hill men, and the rising was pretty
21 well suppressed, but Rani Sadd Kour, coming from Makerian, took the most
22 rigorous steps and determined on extirpating the principal tribes which had
23 rebelled, One of these was the Ratias, who were considered to be the ring-
24 leaders; and hundreds of the people belonging to this tribe were put to the
25 sword by the Sikhs. The excesses committed by the Sikhs at this time
26 were such that even peaceful peasants who had never left their abodes, or
27 changed their pioughs for arms, were killed in cold blood. The hill peopte
28 and the Afghans of Miswari, Sri Kot, Tarbela, Eusafzai and Swat, seeing these
29 outrages committed by the Sikhs, formed a grand combination, and mustered in
30 large numbers from all quarters to give them battle and drive them out. Prince
31 Sher Singh ordered General Ilahi Bakhsh to meet the coming storm. The Gen-
32 eral, with his artillery, engaged the tribes. A smart fight ensued ; but the Sikhs
33 were greatly out-numbered, and their columns surrounded on all sides by the
34 hill men, who inflicted heavy losses on them. Dewan Ram Daydi, a dashing
35 youth, seeing General ahi Bakhsh in great straits, forthwith went to his
36 aid, with such of the detachments as were at his disposal. He had, how-
37 ever, to contend with enormous odds, and the fight continued with heavy
38 loss on both sides till late in the evening, when the Sikhs, being completely
39 Dewin Ram Dayal worn out, retired within their entrenchments. Dewén Rdém Dayal was the
40 Bee last to leave the field, and the Afghans, seeing that he was separated from
41 the rest of the army, suddenly fell upon him, in the passes near Gandgarh,
42 The handful of Sikhs with the dewdn fought with great valour, but the
43 whole escort was cut off by the assailants, the dewan, it need hardly be
44 said, being among the slain.* The Sikhs, struck with panic at the death
45 of their general, broke up their camp and retreated in all haste from Haza-
46 ra, Thus was the career of this most promising of the Sikh generals cut
47 short. His death wasa source of deep regret not only to the Maharajé, who
48 had entertained great expectations from him, as the worthy grandson of the
49 illustrious Dewdn Mukham Chand, but to the whole Sikh nation. Already
50 the late dewdn had distinguished himself in the Kashmir campaign of 1814,
51 and had gained a reputation for ability and bravery as a leader of the
52 “# Murray makes it appear, at page 125 of his work, that Ram _ Dayal met his death while
53 employed in petty eee ad against isolated chiefs of the Kashmir valley. This ig not the
54 fact. Ram Dayal was killed in the action against the Mussalmans of Hazira and the neighbour-
55 SriSatgurtpagnaaingh Tetibrary OY Pe STAASHE BRAN smear! ant Pewee