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2 partisans of the deceased prince invited the ranee, his mother,
3 Chund Kour, to come as soon as possible. Both arrived on the
4 third day, only that Sheer Sing was rather later than the ranee,
5 who had taken her position in the interior part of the fortress :
6 and he was therefore obliged to camp in the garden (hazooree
7 bagh) outside the fortress. When both were at their respective
8 posts, the death of the royal prince was made public, and the
9 burning ceremony was ordered, which took place close to that of
10 his grandfather. Two beautiful young ladies became victims
11 of the flames with him. One female of the age of twelve years
12 Sheer Sing detained, owing to her not being yet ripe for the
13 ceremony of the suttee.
14 It would have been proper at that time to have made inquiries
15 whether the falling of the wall by whicli No-Nehal Sing and
16 Oottum Sing had been crushed, was accidental, or a premeditated
17 machination of wicked conspirators ; but none thought it worth
18 their while to make the inquiry, and the event was regarded as a
19 punishment of God — the royal prince having neglected his royal
20 father, and if he had not caused his death, had at least accelerated
21 it by his negligence.
22 The absence of investigation induced the English to believe
23 the death of No-Nehal Sing to have been a premeditated plot of
24 Dhyan Sing, who, according to their opinion, ambitious as he
25 was, saw in the prince the only impediment and obstacle to
26 the sinister purposes which he had in view. As for me, having
27 lived for a long time in that country, an ocular witness of the
28 events, and having had the opportunity of closely observing
29 the conduct and motives of the minister, I cannot agree with
30 this assertion. Firstly, he would certainly have spared the life of
31 his nephew Oottum Sing, whom he loved, and would have ap-
32 pointed another companion to the prince, and also have kept him-
33 self somewhat farther from the place at which the accident hap-
34 pened. He could not foresee the moment of the downfall of the
35 wall, nor calculate the distance where he might escape the ruin :
36 as a proof of which, his arm was severely contused and injured,
37 for which I myself attended him. Secondly, he would certainly