1 82 SECRET HISTORY OF THE LAHORE DURBAR.
2 and who only kept themselves in favour with the army by the
3 promise or payment of large sums of money, and by the trick
4 of keeping themselves always before the eyes of the troops
5 as the inveterate enemies of the British and devoted patriots
6 in the cause of their country.
7 In order to conceal the death of the Wuzeer, the Scinda-
8 wallas had in the early part of the day caused it to be pro-
9 claimed through the city that Dulleep Sing was now king
10 and Dehan Sing was Minister ; but finding soon that the
11 murder of the Rajah was no longer a secret, they boldly
12 proclaimed Dulleep Sing as king, and Lena Sing Scinda-
13 walla as Wuzeer.
14 The Seiks were little moved by the death of Shere Sing-,
15 at which indeed they rather rejoiced, as he had by the crafty
16 policy of his Minister been made for some time to appear
17 to the troops in the light of a harsh and severe disciplinarian ;
18 the object of this misrepresentation being to render him odious
19 to the troops, and to enable Dehan Sing, by exhibiting him-
20 self as their friend and advocate, to strengthen his claims on
21 their favour.
22 About an hour after sunset Rajah Heera Sing, with the
23 Khalsa troops, and about a hundred pieces of horse artillery
24 approached the city. About the same time or a little earlier,
25 the Scindawallas, seemingly in the hope of appeasing the rage
26 of the Seiks, sent out the body of Rajah Dehan Sing, sprinkled
27 with rose-water, well scented, and wrapped up in a handsome
28 Cashmere shawl ; and with it they sent their assurances that
29 the Minister was killed accidentally by one of their soldiers and
30 entirely without their orders. They further expressed a hope
31 that his death would not be looked upon as the effect of enmity
32 or malice on their part, as they had borne no ill will towards
33 the Minister, and were sincerely and heartily sorry for the
34 untoward occurrence that had caused his death. In support
35 of this assertion they showed also the dead body of the sol-