1 The grief of the
2 latter,
3 He summons the
4 sardary and their
5 armies.
6 Hira Singh's address
7 to the soldiers,
8 They respond to his
9 appeal, and promise
10 him their support,
11 Their thirst for
12 revenge,
13 Sri Satguryy agjibfingh dbabatatie enemy.
14 516 HISTORY OF THE PANJAB.
15 to follow the consultation between Dhidn Singh and the Sindhianwdlé clan.
16 In an hour afterwards the death of the wazir was made public, and the
17 news fell upon the young Rajé Hiré Singh like a thunderbolt. He wept
18 bitterly, and, throwing himself upon the ground, rolled and tossed in a
19 violent manner, but the prudent Bhdi Kesri Singh upbraided him for his
20 childish behaviour and admonished him to stand firm in the cause of his
21 lamented father and avenge himself on the authors of the catastrophe.
22 The soothing words of the Bhai had the desired effect, and Hird
23 Singh now resolved to exert his influence with the soldiery to effect the
24 destruction of those who had polluted their hands with the blood of their
25 king, his innocent minor son, and his prudent wazir. He ascended the
26 terrace of Avitabile’s house, and, having seated himself there, sent messages
27 to the several sardars, requesting their immediate attendance. The call was
28 promptly obeyed; and the sardars, with their troops, assembled at the foot of
29 Budhu-kdé-dwd. Placing himself in front, and unbuckling his sword and
30 shield, the young Rajé said: “You know the traitors have killed our sove-
31 reign, his innocent son, and my dear and brave father, who loved you as
32 much as he loved me. We are deprived of our sovereign, and Iam now
33 fatherless. I now trust to your courage, your patriotism, and your loyalty to
34 our lamented king. Hither uphold me firmly, or kill me with this sword, as
35 it is better to die with honour than to live in disgrace in the midst of ene-
36 mies.” He reminded them how he had been loved by the great Maharajé
37 Ranjit Singh, from his infancy, how fondly he had been brought up by him as
38 his adopted son, and how the traitors were now ready to cut his throat. He
39 assured them that the Sindhianwalé sardars had made a traitorous alliance
40 with the British, and wanted to place the government of the country in their
41 hands, and urged that, if the British power were established in the Panjab,
42 disgrace would be the lot of the whole Sikh nation, and their great and glorious
43 name would sink into oblivion. The Sikhs, who now took a pride in the
44 profession of arms, would be compelled to seek an ignoble living by following
45 the plough. He solemnly promised to increase their pay by one half, each
46 foot soldier to receive Rs. 12 a month, and every horseman Re. 1 a
47 day. This was enough for the mercenary soldiery; they would listen no
48 more, The death of either the king or the wazir, both of whom they loved
49 and honoured, was not pleasant news to them. The presence of the youthful
50 Raja who had just been rendered fatherless by the treachery of the obnoxi-
51 ous Sindhianwdlds; his innocent and mournful appearance, his eloquence,
52 and above all his promises of handsome rewards and permanent increase of
53 pay made astrong impression on the minds of the Khdlsdé, who responded
54 unanimously to the young Rdjé’s call and received his proposition with loud
55 acclamations. An attack on the citadel, under the leadership of Hird Singh,
56 was resolved upon, the brave soldiery determining to conquer or die. Hira
57 Singh told them to be ready for action at a moment's notice, but at the
58 same time urged upon them the necessity of waiting until he had matured
59 his plans. But the troops were impatient and inflamed with anger, and
60 would listen to no one. Although, at the time this resolution was arrived at,
61 about half the troops were. engaged in cooking and preparing their
62 evening meal, they even left their cooking utensils and half prepared food on
63 the plains where they were encamped, and responded to the call to arms
64 made by the trumpeters and drummers. Those who proved dilatory were
65 stimulated by the butt-ends of muskets, and forced to leave their cooking
66 things and prepare for action. Thus, in an incredibly short time, about
67 40,000 troops were assembled, impationt! awaiting the orders. of Raja Hira
68 amdhaneNbrary@ gmail.com