A history of the reigning family of Lahore, with some account of the Jummoo rajahs, the Seik soldiers and their sirdars; with notes on Malcolm, Prinsep, Lawrence, Steinbach, McGregor, and the Calcutta Review

Smyth, George Carmichael · 1847 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1FUTTEH KHAN TEWANAH. 215

2jag-hire, they could rise only on the ruin of his fortunes. Ere

3long, however, Hurriett Sing* was slain by the AfFghans at

4Peshawar, and soon after his death, the brothers received,

5through the favor of Dehan Sing-, another large addition to

6their estates in the Hazerah, being* a district worth above

7a lakh of rupees yearly. At court, also, the Tewanah brothers

8had, through the influence of their patron, become sirdars

9of great dignity and influence.

10Thus matters stood at the death of Rajah Dehan Sing, on

11which occasion Futteh Khan, with his son a lad of fourteen or

12fifteen years of age, was in attendance on the Minister. It is

13said, however, that when Dehan Sing was met on his way to

14Shahbelore by Ajeet Sing Scindawalla and his band, and by

15them turned back towards Lahore, Futteh Khan, who

16till that moment had been riding close by the side of the

17doomed Minister, seeing that something was wrong, dropped

18behind the cavalcade and so only arrived at the gates of the

19fort in time to be shut out from the scene of murder. On

20finding the gates closed betwixt himself and his patron, and

21knowing that Ajeet Sing's party could mean no good to him,

22Futteh Khan prudently retraced his steps, and hastening into

23the city there concealed himself until the death of the Scinda-

24wallas made it safe for him to re-appear. His young son,

25who was by the side of Dehan Sing when he was about to

26enter the gateway of the fort, was despatched by the Rajah,

27who suspected danger, to summon a band of three or four

28hundred armed followers from his Havelee or palace, but,

29as might be supposed they did not arrive at the fort until

30the gates had been closed against them, and when the adherents

31of the Scindawalla s mustered strong enough to frighten them

32from all attempts at a rescue of their master.

33On emerging from his retreat, when matters had somewhat

34settled down, leaving Heera Sing and the Pundit Jellah at

35the head of affairs, Futteh Khan found that the new Wuzeer