1 THE WUZEEltUT OF HEERA SING. 119
2 been treacherous, and either shot him with his own hand or by
3 that of one of his men. The General had with him a guard
4 of about thirty soldiers, and the precipitate flight of these
5 men to then* own side was the signal for the Khalsa to
6 join in the affray. Immediately on the cry of these fugi-
7 tives being heard, it was drowned in the roar of artillery which
8 was now unsparingly used on either side. One of the first
9 victims was the holy Bii, one of whose legs was nearly knock-
10 ed off by a cannon ball. Uttur Sing and Cashmeera Sing, with
11 some other Sirdars, fell in the hand to hand conflict which
12 ensued. Numbers of their people were drowned in the river in
13 the attempt to escape. The Seiks lost all their former reverence
14 for their Gooroo, the sight of the rich plunder which his camp
15 afforded being- a temptation too strong for their piety. Their
16 only object, now, was to secure every man for himself as much
17 of the booty as he could ; but for this they had to fight
18 hard.
19 When the struggle was over the Baba was found breathing
20 his last in exclamations against those of his own caste and
21 creed. He now produced many of the letters which he had
22 received, — the forgeries before mentioned — to prove, as he sup-
23 posed, the treachery and villainy of the Seik chiefs and officers,
24 who, as he believed, to the last, had written these letters,
25 instigating him to take the part of Uttur Sing. "When," said he
26 to the Seiks, around him, " you and your chiefs and officers
27 wrote these letters to me with the most solemn promises both
28 to myself and Uttur Sing, I relied on your good faith and
29 agreed to your proposals, in the hope of obtaining for Uttur
30 Sing and his family the means of a quiet livelihood ; but you,
31 calling yourselves Seiks, are worse than Mahomedans, you
32 have proved yourselves a vile, treacherous, and unfaithful
33 race, without piety or religion. Still my dying prayer to
34 heaven is, may even your wickedness be requited by good."
35 He then gave directions that his body should be thrown into