1 8 HISTORY OF RUNJEET SING'S FAMILY.
2 Delhi. He thus amassed considerable substance, and, becoming
3 the proprietor of some large farms about Gujerawalla, was
4 looked upon as the chief man of the district. He had
5 three sons, Dhull Sing, Ameer Sing, and Jode Sing. He
6 had also two daughters, to the eldest of whom, about the
7 year 1756, Churut Sing was married. From this time the
8 wealth and power of the two families were united; and the
9 allied chiefs, Ameer Sing and Churut Sing, now raised a banner
10 and formed a Missall of their own. The first chiefs of the
11 new clan were Churut Sing, with his two brothers and his
12 three brothers-in-law; but until Ameer Sing's death he was
13 considered and respected as its head and chief adviser, although
14 from age and infirmity, unable to take an active part in its pro-
15 ceedings. After the death of Ameer Sing, the new tribe
16 became known as the Sukerchuckia Missall. About the
17 year 1777 Ameer Sing counselled his followers to build them-
18 selves a fort better adapted to their present wants and
19 purposes than was Kutchee-ko-serai. On this work the
20 Missall began, but the walls were not advanced beyond
21 the first stage, when the chiefs of Lahore, Bahadoor Khan,
22 Afzul Khan, and Koja Sei, jealous of the power of their neigh-
23 bours, moved out with a force to disperse the band and
24 destroy its stronghold. Churut Sing, now the chief of the
25 Missall, received timely notice of their design, and with about
26 a thousand men of his band was ready to receive them. When
27 the Mahomedan chiefs left Lahore on this enterprise, they were
28 joined by about fifteen hundred or two thousand volunteers,
29 Seiks, Sansees, Mujbees, &c. many of them in actual but secret
30 league with Churut Sing and his Missall. Thus reinforced
31 the Lahore chiefs encamped about a mile and a half east of
32 Gujerawalla, to prepare for the contemplated attack. However,
33 on the second night of their stay in this place, they were sur-
34 prised and furiously attacked by Churut Sing*, and their treache-
35 rous allies turning against them, their rout was complete. Their