1 522 HISTORY OF THE PANJAB,
2 Singh were declared traitors to the State, as it was thought their real object
3 was to place the young Maharaja under the protection of the British and
4 to invite that Government to occupy the country. The prime minister,
5 Hira Singh, whose emissaries were busy at work the whole night, was
6 informed of the line of action which the Khdlsé had adopted, and this met
7 his full approval. A rumour was afloat in the city that Jawdhir Singh
8 intended to take the young Mahardjé to Ferozpur and deliver him over to
9 the British Government. Early the next morning the wazir rode out on
10 horseback and brought both the fugitives back to the city, A salute of
11 101 guns was fired on this occasion from the fortress, as the young
12 Mahardj4 made his entry into the city; and he was again delivered
13 to his mother, to her profound joy and satisfaction. Jawdhir Singh was
14 Heis putin confine: placed in close confinement and put in irons in the haveli of Maharaja
15 ment. Kharak Singh, in the town. His life was spared, at the request of the
16 soldiery, as the maternal uncle of the young Mahardjd. From this time
17 Suchet Singh _ Suchet Singh was looked upon as the enemy of the State, and strongly
18 suspected Oui ~— suspected of favouring the English. The dread of his power and influence
19 and the presence of his elder brother,.Gulab Singh at the capital, were,
20 however, sufficient to protect him from personal injury. At any rate, under
21 the orders of the wazir, the two, battalions of infantry in the employ of
22 Raj& Suchet Singh, which were quartered in the fort, and all the Raja's
23 men and dependants stationed there, were at once expelled, disarmed and
24 otherwise disgraced. Orders were also issued prohibiting the entrance of
25 Raja Suchet Singh and his men into the fort without the wazir’s special
26 permission. The wrath of the Raja at the ignominy thus inflicted on him
27 at the hands of his nephew knew no bounds, but, being fully conscious of
28 the wazfr’s power and influence over the soldiery, he feigned acquiescence.
29 Guldb Singh, in the meanwhile, seeing an amicable settlement between the
30 Gulab Singh ana hostile uncle and nephew to be impossible, deemed it prudent to withdraw
31 Tho Janeen zetize to fom the scene, taking with him his brother, Suchet Singh. Before going,
32 he contrived to secure most of the valuables which Hird Singh had hoarded
33 up for himself, as well as all the property that belonged to his late brother,
34 Dhidn Singh. Thus loaded with abundant riches, he left for Jammt with
35 Raj&4 Suchet Singh, accompanied by 2,000 of his troops. His first act,
36 on reaching his territory, was to induce Suchet Singh, who was childless, to
37 adopt one of his four sons as his legal heir and representative, and Suchet
38 Singh, having gladly agreed to this proposal, Ram Bhir Singh, commonly
39 called Midn Pino, the youngest son of Rdj& Guldb Singh, was publicly
40 declared the adopted son and heir of Raj& Suchet Singh. Thus did the
41 crafty old Guldb Singh secure to himself the immense fortune of his child-
42 less brother, Suchet Singh.
43 About this time Jéll4 Pandit entered into a liaison, with a widow of the
44 late Maharaja Sher Singh, and a conspiracy was set on foot to poison the
45 young Mahardjé and place the widow’s son on the throne. Rdni Jinddn,
46 however, being informed of this in time, the impending disaster was nipped
47 in the bud.
48 It has already been noted that the late Mahardjé Ranjit Singh had two
49 reputed sons, Kdshmira Singh and Peshora Singh. ‘The former held Sidlkot
50 as his patrimony from the Mahardjé and the latter, Gujrénwdld. There were
51 meas certain individuals in the Panjéb who considered the claims of the boy Dulip
52 geist the Princes | Singh to succeed to the throne of Lahore superior to those of Ranjit Singh’s
53 Peshora Single two adopted sons, Kdshmira Singh and Peshora Singh, and the minister,
54 Hira Singh, thought his position insecure as long as the brothers held aloof
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