1 THE WUZEERUT OF HEERA SING. 109
2 been held, and having distributed some presents among- the
3 troops he was again treated as their favourite and extolled
4 as a liberal and popular minister.
5 The news of the misunderstanding betwixt Heera Sing and
6 the army reached Jummoo and inspired Suchet Sing with
7 a hope of being able to supplant his nephew in the fa-
8 vour of the troops, and as a consequence in the office of
9 Wuzeer. Four or five battalions had, moreover, it seems, in
10 their temporary pique with the minister, sent an invitation to
11 Suchet Sing to come to Lahore without loss of time. He ac-
12 cordingly hastened to the capital ; but on his arrival found
13 that the storm which promised to blow good for him had passed
14 over, and that the wind was again in his nephew's favour. He,
15 however, nothing daunted, arrived at Ekrar ke puttun, a ferry
16 on the Ravee, three or four koss from Lahore. It was in the
17 evening that he reached this spot, attended by only about ten
18 horsemen. He immediately sent a messenger to the battalions
19 that had invited him, announcing his arrival, but not receiving
20 an answer so soon as he expected, the impatient chief deter-
21 mined to cross the river and present himself to the troops,
22 hoping that his presence and promises would effect for him all
23 that he required. In this, however, he was mistaken ; — the
24 very men who had sent for him were now the first to tell him
25 that he had better retrace his steps, as Rajah Heera Sing hav-
26 ing but two days before complied with the terms of reconcilia-
27 tion offered by the Khalsa, they were again faithfully bound to
28 him ; and that were it otherwise, these four or five battalions
29 only could not think of standing out against the decision of all
30 the rest of the army. They therefore strongly advised Suchet
31 Sing to return to Jummoo and wait for a better opportunity.
32 But the gallant Dogra, rash as he was brave, had determined
33 not to draw back from the enterprise which he had once
34 begun ; and as he would not leave the camp at their suggestion
35 the troops afraid of incurring the displeasure of their comrades