1 60 SECRET HISTORY OF THE LAHORE DURBAR.
2 Gorchars or mounted body guard. Then taking- with him
3 twelve of the best horses that had been in Runjeet
4 Sing's stud, and many valuable articles of pushmeena, &c,
5 Goolaub Sing at the head of his men marched quietly out
6 of the fort after dark on the evening of the eighth day.
7 The clause in the capitulation which allowed the garrison
8 to depart with all the honors of war was not taken advantage
9 of, Goolaub fearing*, and with but too much show of reason,
10 that the Seiks, instigated by their own revengeful feelings,
11 or the machinations of Jewalla Sing, might fall upon the little
12 band when it was unable to protect itself and plunder and
13 perhaps murder them all. As it was, however, the Dogra
14 force without molestation reached the bank of the Ravee oppo-
15 site Shahderah and there encamped for two days. During
16 this time Goolaub Sing went to pay his respects to the new
17 Maharajah, Shere Sing, to whom with his own hand he deli-
18 vered as a token of homage and as a propitiatory gift, the great
19 diamond called Koh-i-noor, which he had contrived to secure.
20 On the occasion of this interview he endeavoured to impress
21 on Shere Sing a sense of his own loyalty and patriotism,
22 declaring that he now had at much risk and trouble to himself
23 secured for the new Maharajh, the treasures of the state which but
24 for his exertions would have been plundered by the Seik soldiery
25 and the rabble. To this he added, that being a Rajpoot and
26 an old servant of Runjeet Sing, his gallantry and loyalty
27 alike engaged him to protect the person and reputation of
28 Chund Kour, the virtuous widow of Kurruck Sing, and daugh-
29 ter-in-law to the great Maharajh himself. Thus he made
30 the best use of some four or five hours which passed during
31 his interview with Shere Sing, and next day crossing the
32 Ravee to Shahdera, with the whole of his force he took up as
33 strong a position as he could find, and sent to Jummoo for a
34 re-inforcement of two thousand of his best troops. He took
35 these precautions because he found that the Khalsa troops were