1 558 HISTORY OF THE PANJAB,
2 to resign the charge of the Multan province, but his resignation was’ not
3 Mil Réjresignshis accepted. On his return to Multan, he repeated his wish to resign his office
4 office. into the hands of any authorised person sent to receive the trust. On
5 Pcie Kahn Singh this Sardar Kahn Singh was nominated governor of Multdn, and two British
6 2 ne" officers were selected by Sir Frederick Currie to accompany the new Gover-
7 nor to his province. They were Mr, P. A. Vans-Agnew, a young Bengal:
8 Mr. Vans-Agnew and Civilian, who was Assistant to the Resident at Léhore, and was now charged
9 ire wat tea’? with the principal duties, and Lieutenant W. A. Anderson, of the Ist Bombay
10 Kuropean Fusiliers. Sir Frederick described the former as a “man of much
11 ability, energy and judgment, with considerable experience in administrative
12 duties;” and the latter as an “excellent oriental scholar, who was for some *
13 time Deputy Collector in Sindh under Sir Charles Napier, and has travelled
14 through the whole of the Multdn districts.” Mr. Vans-Agnew was known
15 to be most popular with the natives of thé country, towards whom he
16 carried his kindness almost to excess, and Lieutenant Anderson is described
17 as an officer of “unusual achievements and of*peculiarly conciliatory man-
18 ners.”
19 They reach Multan. To avoid the heat, the officers went by river, while Kahn Singh, with an
20 escort of 600 Gurkhas, 700 cavalry and a troop of horse artillery, with six
21 guns, went by land. They all met in the neighbourhood of Multan, on the
22 18th of April, and encamped at the Idgéh, a fortified enclosure, within
23 cannon shot of the fort. Mul Raj paid two visits to the British officers in
24 the course of the 18th, and behaved with apparent candour and sincerity,
25 and it was arranged that the fort should be made over to the new Governor
26 on the following day.
27 Bhil Raj delivers up Karly in the morning of the 19th, Mr. Vans-Agnew and Lieutenant
28 theneys of the fortto Anderson, with Sardar Kahn Singh, went to the fort, accompanied by Mul
29 Raj, who delivered up the keys to the British officers, Two companies
30 of Gurkhés were placed in charge of the fort, and sentries were planted
31 at various points. The former garrison having been mustered, their fears
32 were allayed, and promise of service was made to them. All arrange-
33 agehe British Omeers, ments being complete, the British officers, who were unarmed, suspecting
34 x * nothing, set out to return to the Idgth, Mul Raj riding by their side.
35 As the cavaleade reached the gate, two of Mul Rdj’s soldiers appeared
36 standing on the bridge over the ditch, One of them, named Amir Chand,
37 gazing at the Englishmen for a moment, struck Mr. Vans-Agnew with
38 a spear and knocked him off his horse. Mr. Agnew resisted, whereon
39 the ruffian, drawing his sword, gave him two severe cuts, but was himself
40 knocked into the ditch by a horseman of the escort. Mal Raj, either
41 afraid of bis own life, or indifferent to what had happened, instantly galloped
42 off to his garden-house at the Am Khas, about a mile from the Idgdh.
43 The wounded officer was with difficulty rescued from the mob, and carried
44 back on an elephant to the Idg4h by Kahn Singh and Rang Ram, Mal Ra4j’s
45 brother-in-law. Mul Rdj’s personal sowars, pursuing Lieutenant Anderson,
46 wounded him desperately and left him for dead. He was afterwards found
47 by some of his Gurkhd soldiers, and carried into the Idgdh on a litter.
48 Mr. Vans-Agnew had the courage, during the day, to write a report of
49 the occurrence to the Resident at Léhore and letters to General Cortlandt
50 at Derd Ismail Khan, and to Lieutenant Edwardes at Banna, informing
51 exis, Vans-Acnew them of his peril. He also sent a letter to Mul Raj, summoning him to his
52 his presence. ~- Presence to account for the treachery, and asking him to seize the guilty
53 ; parties and deliver them up, expressing at the same time a generous dis-
54 belief in the Dewdn’s complicity. Mr. Agnew, no doubt, displayed great
55 uiifealt of mind and bravery at_ this irying. moment. A reply was
56 lor
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