1 THE SOODHUN REVOLT. 209
2 of rebellion to break out. The whole country rose in arms
3 against the authority of the Dogra Rajahs, and as they at
4 first met with little opposition, the insurgents had in less than
5 a month, and before Goolaub could extricate himself from
6 the Yuzoofzyes, taken and destroyed all the forts and strong-
7 holds of their rulers, from Poonch almost to the walls of
8 Jummoo itself, and from the borders of Cashmere to the base
9 of the hills. All the troops which Goolaub could as yet
10 send against them were repulsed and obliged to return with
11 heavy loss, leaving the triumphant insurgents in possession of
12 the whole country. And this although the Jummoo force num-
13 bered about five thousand men, and was commanded by Meean
14 Oottum Sing*, the eldest son of the Rajah, one of the bravest
15 of his race, and by Dewan Hurree Chund, Goolaub's principal
16 minister and commander.
17 At length the Rajah himself left the Yuzoofzye country,
18 and marched his troops to Kohoutee, at the foot of the hills
19 to the north-east of Ravvul Pindee. Seeing, however, that
20 if force alone were used, the result would be at least doubtful,
21 he halted at Kohoutee for some time, and commenced a course
22 of intrigue and bribery for the purpose of creating disunion
23 among the insurgents, and bringing some of them over to his
24 side. Shumass Khan had now openly placed himself at the
25 head of the insurgents, and it was by intriguing with and
26 bribing the enemies of this man among the hill chiefs that
27 Goolaub wrought his purpose. Having succeeded by such
28 means in detaching many of the insurgents from the common
29 cause, and secured their aid or at least their neutrality, the
30 Rajah at the head of about eight thousand regular infantry
31 and twelve thousand irregulars, a sort of militia raised in
32 the hills about Jummoo, ascended from the plains at Ko-
33 houtee and marched towards Mung and Pelundheree. In
34 order at once to strike terror into the insurgents and to distress
35 and punish them, he devastated the country as he advanced,
36 D D