1 =
2 MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH. ~ 469
3 of his troops, and Sardar Tej Singh to Peshawar. Last of all, the Mahardja
4 himself set out for Peshdwar, encamping for a month at Rohtds en route, and
5 sending Rd4jé Gulab Singh in advance of his camp to Peshdwar.
6 The occupation of Peshdwar by the Sikhs had been a source of great
7 trouble to Amir Dost Muhammad Khan, as he had always laid claim to itas a
8 dependency of Kébul. In vain did the Amir solicit the mediation of the
9 British Government to induce the Sikhs to retire from Peshawar and to ad-
10 just the difference between him and the Lahore ruler ; he was told that the
11 Government was unwilling to meddle in the affair, though a plain declara-
12 tion was made to Dost Muhammad and his brothers of the desire of the
13 ‘British Government to form a connection with them by an interchange of
14 commercial facilities. Left- thus to his own resources, and to settle his
15 differences with the Lahore Government as best he could, the Amir made
16 preparations for a march in the direction of Peshdwar. At the same time,
17 through one Muhammad Husain, a native of Persia, who had for some
18 years resided at Kabul, he opened a correspondence with the Shah of Persia.
19 He had desired Nawéb Jabbar Khan, his brother, and a man of great influ-
20 ence at Kdbul, to become a party to this correspondence, but the Nawab
21 refused to have anything to do with the affair, declaring that he had always
22 advocated a connection with the British Government, and would continue to
23 do so.
24 At length the Amir broke up his camp at Jalldldbdd, and, by easy
25 marches, reached Bassowal. The Id Kurbdén festival was celebrated at Ali
26 Baéghdn, and here the Amir offered up prayers for the success of his arms in
27 the impending conflict. He exclaimed audibly, that he might be heard by
28 those around, “ Allah! I am but a weak fly, about to resista huge elephant.
29 Thy power is great, and on Thee this poor fly places its dependence. If it
30 be Thy will, the fly will be triumphant in its encounter with the elephant.
31 From Thee I beseech help and from Thee I implore victory.” A host of Ghdzis,
32 or warriors of the faith, also joined the Amir from the surrounding country. He
33 assumed the proud title of Ghézi or Champion of the Faith, and endeavoured
34 to rouse the population generally to a sense of their duty, which he declared
35 was to destroy the infidel invaders of Peshdwar. The Silchs, on their part,
36 endeavoured to gain over many of the Maliks or petty chiefs of the Khaibar,
37 by assigning allowances to them ; but thése abandoned the cause of the Sikhs
38 ‘and joined the Amir, on the plea of religious feeling. Having passed the
39 defiles of the Khaibar, the Amir encamped at Shekdn at the foot of the hills.
40 The news that the Afghans had actually taken up a position on the plains
41 of Peshdwar, induced the Mahardj4, who was loitering in the country east of
42 the Indus, to accelerate his march to that place, where he soon arrived, res-
43 toring confidence among his troops. He wasjoined by Sardar Sultén Muham-
44 mad Khan, who tent his moral support, but was in no way in a position to
45 render the Maharaja, material aid. The personal attention and exertions of
46 the veteran ruler of Lahore now effected an immediate change in the dis-
47 position of the army, which had hitherto been located in different positions
48 to no advantage. The camp nearest the Afghan detachments remained
49 stationary, as if no movements were in contemplation. Further time was gain-
50 ed by amusing the Kdbul Amir with negotiations, the diplomatists on the
51 part of the Afghans being Nawdb Jabbar Khan and Agha Husain, the latter
52 being deputed to watch the proceedings of the former, who lacked the Amir’s
53 confidence. Subsequent events, however, showed that the Agha was no more
54 honest a dependant of the Amir than his Barakzai colleague, he having ac-
55 cepted a large sum of money from the Sikhs, and promised to prevail upon
56 his master to retrace his steps to Kd4bul, The time thus gained was made
57 Dost ifuhammad
58 Khan, greatly per-
59 plexed by the Sikhs
60 annexing Peshawar to
61 their dominions,
62 He desires British
63 interference which ig
64 refused, 1834.
65 He opens correspond-
66 ence with Persia,
67 He marches from
68 Jalalabad to give the
69 Sikhs battle, 1835,
70 And assunies the
71 title of Ghazi.
72 The Maharaja
73 reaches Peshawar.
74 He gains the moral
75 support of Sardar
76 Sultan Muhammed
77 Khan.
78 Negotiations,
79 t
80 af in Batila,
81 ikot and Jhelum.
82 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com