1 CHAPTER X.
2 ANARCHY.
3 The youthful minister found himself beset by dangers.
4 He was threatened by no less than three powerful
5 rivals — Jowahir Singh, the brother of the Rani Jindan,
6 who considered himself the natural guardian of his
7 nephew Dhulip ; Attar Singh, the last of the Sind-
8 hanwalias, who was burning to avenge the deaths
9 of his brothers ; and his own uncle Sucfeet, who,
10 prompted more by jealousy than anything else, was
11 determined to supplant his precocious nephew.
12 In November 1843 Jowahir Singh and Suchet Singh
13 made a combined attempt to turn the army from its
14 allegiance to Hira Singh, Jowahir threatening to
15 remove his nephew into British territory unless the
16 Jammu minister was deposed. Their proposals were
17 debated at a meeting of the panchayats; but Jowahir's
18 injudicious threat of seeking British assistance offended
19 the Panches, who sent a report of the whole matter
20 to Hira Singh. Jowahir was thrown into prison, and
21 Suchet only escaped a similar punishment through the
22 mediation of Ghulab Singh. He was, however, com-
23 pelled to quit Lahore with all his followers. Previous
24 to their departure, the latter were made to surrender