1 208 A Short History of the Sikhs.
2 by one, flung each his arms on a heap in front of the
3 general's tent. " I never saw " — so runs the entry in
4 the subaltern's diary — " anything like the reluctance
5 with which they seemed to part with their weapons.
6 Many of them were fine grey-haired old fellows,
7 with large flowing white beards, probably some of
8 Ranjeet Singh's veterans. One old fellow I noticed
9 in particular : he stood for a long time looking wist-
10 fully at his arms and the pile before him, and
11 evidently could not make up his mind to give them
12 up. At last the officer on duty came up and touched
13 him on the shoulder, and ordered him to move on ;
14 he then threw down his sword and matchlock with
15 a crash, and turned away saying, with tears in his
16 eyes, ' All my work is done now.' After they had
17 deposited their weapons, they went away — goodness
18 knows where — probably without a farthing in
19 their pockets to buy food with. There was an
20 immense, pile of muskets, matchlocks, tulwars, spears,
21 zamborucks, and six or seven guns of heavier metal,
22 and one ten-inch mortar. As I went away I
23 met a company of pioneers coming to break up
24 the matchlocks. The swords will probably be sold
25 by auction."1
26 The splendid bravery and the' fervid patriotism
27 displayed by the Sikhs throughout the Punjab wars
28 will always be remembered by the British with
29 admiration and respect. It is difficult to read un-
30 moved the story of the surrender of Sher Singh's
31 army. But, while we pay the highest possible tribute
32 to the gallantry of the soldiers of the Khalsa, we
33 1 Leaves from the Journal of a Subaltern, p. 189.