1 Decline of the Sikh Monarchy. 148
2 dissolute and incapable, and used her power as a
3 means of ministering to her depraved desires. Her
4 shameless profligacy and the vices and intrigues of
5 her court disgusted even her own adherents, whose
6 numbers diminished day by day. Sher Singh, mean-
7 while, was gradually strengthening his position. The
8 major portion of the army declared for him ; and
9 when, in January, he was joined by General Ventura,
10 then on his way back from Mandi, with 6,000 troops,
11 he determined to strike a decisive blow, and marched
12 for the capital. The Rani defended her throne with
13 much greater energy than she had displayed in ruling
14 her subjects. Aided by the Sindhanwalia brothers
15 and Ghulab Singh, she held out in the capital, with
16 such troops as remained faithful to her, for eight days,
17 during which time the besiegers lost nearly two
18 thousand men. She capitulated on the 1 7th January,
19 Sher Singh having undertaken to spare her garrison,
20 a promise he had some difficulty in fulfilling. Ghulab
21 Singh withdrew his troops to the north of the Ravi,
22 and Attar Singh and Ajit Singh fled across the Sutlej,
23 where they made a vain attempt to persuade Lord
24 Auckland to take up the Rani's cause. On the 27 th
25 January, Sher Singh was again installed as Maharaja.
26 He treated Chand Kour with consideration, assigning
27 her apartments in the palace, where she was kept in
28 easy confinement. But his soldiers, maddened by
29 the loss of so many of their comrades, and balked of
30 what they considered their legitimate prey, wreaked
31 a heavy vengeance on the unfortunate citizens,
32 plundering bazars and dwelling-houses with merci-
33 less indiscrimination.