1 244 THE LORDS OF THE HILLS; —
2 but also gained the good will and favour of the governor of La-
3 hore. It appears that the Bhow Sirdars or Rajpoot chiefs of the
4 time, KomulDehu, Budj Dehu, and Gool Dehu, had entered into
5 close alliance with the Seik chief, Churuth Sing, the grand-father
6 of Runjeet Sing, and by this intrigue they incurred the dis-
7 pleasure of Adeena Beg, then governor of Lahore, who threaten-
8 ed their destruction. Kousar Dehu, his brothers, and their
9 party found opportunities to increase this hostile feeling of the
10 Lahore Court towards the Bhow faction. It happened that about
11 this time two Mahomedan chiefs, Bahadoor Khan and Affzull Beg,
12 were sent by the Court of Delhi to Lahore and the N. W. parts
13 of the Punjaub, to purchase some Toorkistan horses, and to look
14 after and report on the state of that soubah. About the year
15 1760, these two officers were at Lahore as Acting Governors,
16 when a famous horse arrived there, which they had procured
17 from Toorkistan, and for which they are said to have paid forty-
18 eight thousand rupees in ready money. However, no one then
19 about the Lahore Court could be found bold or skilful enough
20 to train or ride this fiery steed. On this the long-imprison-
21 ed Rajah Runjeet Dehu, being well known as a most able and
22 daring horseman, was brought forth from his dungeon, his
23 fetters were knocked off, and he was instructed as to the
24 duty imposed on him to break in the untamed steed.
25 The mountain chief gladly undertook the task, and such was
26 the skill and courage which he brought to bear upon it, that
27 in an incredibly short time, the wild and unmanageable horse
28 became gentle and tractable under his hands. It must not
29 be supposed that those who kept the Hill Rajah in custody,
30 entrusted him with such a means of making his escape as the
31 possession of this fleet steed afforded, without taking precautions
32 for preventing his availing himself of it. To this end they
33 would not trust him to exercise the horse outside the fort,
34 but kept him within the walls, causing him to perform his
35 task in the enclosed area of the Hazooree Bagh. At this