1 144 A Short History of the Sikhs.
2 When tranquillity had been in some measure
3 restored, Dhian Singh, who in return for his faithful
4 conduct was appointed to his old office, procured the
5 pardon of his brother and son. Ghulab Singh and
6 Hira Singh were recalled to court; and soon after-
7 wards the latter was made commander-in-chief of the
8 forces of the Punjab. Sher Singh, a well-intentioned
9 profligate, was only too glad to shift the cares of
10 government on to the shoulders of the willing Dhian,
11 who took the opportunity to fill all the most impor-
12 tant posts in the state service with " friends of the
13 family." The Jammu brothers were never more
14 powerful than at this juncture. They had played a
15 deep and daring game, and their triumph, if short-
16 lived, was complete.
17 But the kingdom of the Punjab was drifting
18 nearer and nearer to anarchy. Over the Sikh nation
19 it was impossible that a Rajput minister could have
20 any real hold. In the devastated capital, Dhian
21 Singh was able to restore some measure of order;
22 but without its walls his authority was treated with
23 contempt. The army was getting more and more
24 out of hand. In Lahore itself insubordination was
25 rife enough, but in the provinces things were much
26 worse. At Peshawar and Multan, in Kashmir, and
27 in the newly-conquered state of Mandi, the troops
28 rose in open rebellion ; and though these and similar
29 outbreaks were temporarily quelled, the drastic mea-
30 sures taken by the governors concerned strengthened
31 rather than allayed the mutinous spirit. In some
32 cases whole regiments were disbanded ; but this
33 served only to increase the general disorder, for the