1 4 HISTORY Of RUNJEET SING'S FAMILY,
2 returned without effecting his purpose. He is, however, known
3 to have kept his head unshaved, and to have gone about the
4 villages of Keallee and Sukerchuck proclaiming the precepts
5 of Baba Nanuk. He kept no shop like his father ; but his
6 sole occupations were telling his beads and reading the
7 Grunth. On his death, which happened about 1679, he enjoined
8 on his son Buddah the duty of reading the Holy Book and of
9 going to Umritsir to take the Pahul and become a Seik. Bud-
10 dah on the death of his father was a boy of only nine years
11 old, but on growing up and finding himself in the possession of
12 the little money left him by his father he seemed well disposed
13 to follow the paternal example and lead a quiet and religious
14 life. It happened, however, that he became acquainted with
15 some plundering Seiks, and by communication with them his
16 ideas and views underwent a change. He now, however, as it
17 suited his purpose, remembered his father's injuction to become
18 a Seik, and accordingly went with some of his new friends to
19 Umritsir, where about the year 1692 he took the Pahul and
20 thus became the first Seik of the family. On this occasion his
21 name was changed from Buddah to Boodh Sing.
22 On his return from Umritsir, Boodh Sing built himself a
23 large house in Sukerchuck, which was his head-quarters, and
24 where he continued to win the respect of the people both of
25 Sukerchuck and Keallee, and so became one of their chowdries
26 or head-men. But he not only looked after his interests in the
27 villages, but, connecting himself with the gangs of predatory
28 Seiks and Sansees, won himself the reputation of the boldest
29 and most successful freebooter in the country. He generally
30 however confined his achievements to the carrying off of cattle
31 from far-away districts of the south ; and the herds which he
32 carried off were either appropriated to his own estate, or sold
33 about Lahore and Umritsir. He rode a piebald mare, which
34 became as famous as himself in the country, and was called by the