1 MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.
2 PHOOLA SING, THE AKALEE.
3 Phoola Sing* Nahung, an Akalee of the Jat Sing caste,
4 and the son of a poor Akalee attendant of the Akal Boongah
5 at Umritsir, first distinguished himself as the leader of the
6 attack on Mr. Metcalfe's escort, in 1809, at Umritsir. Soon
7 after the unsuccessful termination of this exploit, Phoola Sing*,
8 with a few of his comrades, forced himself into the presence
9 of Runjeet Sing, and drawing his sword, demanded vengeance
10 on the band of strangers who had been the cause of so much
11 loss and disgrace to him and his class. This unreasonable
12 demand he endeavoured to enforce by threatening to wreak
13 his own revenge and that of his comrades on Runjeet himself
14 and all his family, if it was not complied with. Runjeet
15 was astonished, and possibly somewhat alarmed at this intrusion
16 of the bold and desperate young man and his followers. Com-
17 pliance with their demand for the slaughter of the British
18 envoy and his retinue was, however, out of the question, as
19 it would have ensured his own political and perhaps personal
20 destruction. He, therefore, with that coolness and tact for
21 which he was distinguished, told his rude visitors that if they
22 were bent on vengeance, he offered himself as their victim,
23 for that they might as well slay him at once as ensure his
24 ruin by causing him to break faith with the British, and
25 to insult or injure their ambassador. After a long parley he
26 induced the young Akalee and his followers to lay aside
27 A a