1 40 A Short History of the Sikhs.
2 stirring up hostility between Hindus and Muham-
3 madans, with the ultimate object of overturning the
4 Moghul throne. On receipt of this information
5 Aurangzeb dispatched orders to the viceroys of Delhi,
6 Sirhind, and Lahore to proceed without delay against
7 the guru with all the forces at their disposal, and
8 in a short time Anandpur was again besieged, this
9 time by an overwhelming army, with Wazir Khan,
10 the viceroy of Sirhind, in supreme command. The
11 devoted bravery of the Sikhs was never more con-
12 spicuously displayed than during the long siege which
13 followed. Every day their ardour was newly kindled
14 by the words of their leader, who bade them remember
15 all that their community had suffered at the hands
16 of the Muhammadans, and exhorted them to seek
17 salvation in the next world by dying in the defence
18 of the Khalsa. Though reduced to the utmost
19 straits by hunger, the vigour of their defence never
20 slackened. Assault after assault was repulsed ; and
21 it was only when the cutting off of their water
22 supply brought their sufferings to a climax that
23 Govind Singh decided to evacuate the fortress. This
24 he contrived to effect without abandoning his prop-
25 erty ; and, with all that remained of his exhausted
26 garrison, he made his way to Chamkaur, and
27 once more stood at bay. Knowing that another
28 siege awaited him, he dispatched his wife and
29 two younger sons to Sirhind ; but though they
30 reached the town in safety, their presence was
31 betrayed to the Muhammadans. By order of the
32 governor both the lads were cruelly murdered, and
33 their mother died of grief.