1 Guru Govind Singh. 41
2 The soldiers of the Khalsa enjoyed but a short
3 respite. Chamkaur was soon as closely besieged as
4 Anandpur had been, and was as desperately defended.
5 The two elder sons of the guru were slain, and
6 many died of starvation. Even the bark of trees
7 was used as food. When it became evident that
8 the fortress was doomed, preparations were made
9 for flight ; and again the guru with the remnants
10 of his band succeeded in passing through the lines
11 of the besiegers. He crossed the Sutlej, and sought
12 refuge in the deserts of the Firozpur district. In
13 the neighbourhood of Bathinda he once more rallied,
14 his forces and turned on his pursuers. The scene
15 of this last conflict is still known as Muktsar,
16 or the Field of Exemption, for it was here that
17 the guru fired the zeal of his disciples by promising
18 mulct to all who should sacrifice their lives for
19 the Khalsa. The battle was as desperate as any
20 that had preceded it ; and though the imperial
21 troops gained the day, they were, for the third
22 time, balked of their prey ; for the guru, with
23 a few chosen followers, managed to escape from
24 the field, and, evading pursuit, made his way in
25 safety to Talwandi (thenceforward known as Dam-
26 dama, or the " resting place ") in the district of
27 Patiala. Wazir Khan, believing Govind Singh to
28 be amongst the slain, and that the power of the
29 Khalsa was crushed for ever, withdrew his forces,
30 and abandoned the campaign.
31 Secure in his new retreat, Govind Singh re-estab-
32 lished his court, and surrounded himself with all
33 the pomp and circumstance of royalty. It was here