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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1890.
In St. 1897, the Maharaja Kharak Singh died, and when Nau Nihal Singh was returning from the funeral with Mian Adham Singh, a board detached itself from the roof of the fort-gate under which they passed, and killed them both, falling upon them like a stone from heaven. Having been born in St. 1874, Nau Nihâl was at the time of his death not more than 23 years and a few days old. Gulâb Singh, who was at that time in Râmnagar, immediately departed to Jammûn, where he spent a few days in mourning, and then again returned to Lâhôr. Râjâ Dhyan Singh endeavoured for a time to keep the death of Nau Nihal Singh concealed and had his body conveyed to the Hazûri Bâgh, where he invited surgeons and physicians to come, who were supposed to be treating the prince. But after Gulab Singh had arrived in Lâhôr, the prince Sher Singh, son of the Mahârâjâ Ranjit Singh, was informed of what had taken place and invited to Lâhôr, where he performed the funeral obsequies with appropriate pomp. Sher Singh hoped to succeed to the masnad at once, and was supported in his claim by Gulab Singh, Dhyan Singh and others, but finding that the faction of the Sindhânwâliâ Sardârs and many powerful nobles favoured the succession of the Rani Chand Kanwar, he retired to Kâlânûr with Dhyan Singh, who afterwards departed to Jammûn, after making the arrangements necessary for raising Shêr Singh to the throne, by ordering the officers of the Khalsa troops, all of whom were sincerely devoted to him, to receive Sher Singh with royal honours and to obey him in everything on his arrival in Lâhôr. Karm Singh, who was in the service of Dhyan Singh, returned to the capital, and as soon as everything had been got ready, the prince Sher Singh entered Lahôr at the invitation of the officers of the army. Gulâb Singh, desirons of averting hostilities, assembled the officers and told them that, as the Maharani was heir to the throne, their duty would be to remain loyal to her. However, while pretending to agree with what he had said, they fired a royal salute as soon as Sher Singh had arrived near the regiments. Gulab Singh at once betook himself to the fort, where he made preparations for resistance, and told the Raja Hira Singh, that as his father Dhyan Singh was outside the fort he ought also to leave it; but he refused, replying that as Gulab Singh stood to him in the place of a father it would be impossible to abandon him and to leave the fort. Gulb Singh had merely his own Dogrả troops in the fort, amounting to less than 2,000 men, with only one piece of artillery, whilst the forces outside exceeded 50,000 in number with nearly 300 guns. The besieging army having posted itself in the plain of the Hazuri Bagh, erected a battery opposite the gateway, and demanded its surrender; but the sabahdir Chhapêchap, who had charge of it, with a company of sepoys, replied that he coald not do so except by order of Gulåb Singh. On this the attack began in which the Şübahdar and his men perished, and the gateway was reduced to splinters. The Dîwan 46 was at this post, and, with several other men, not only repaired the damage done, but also fired their one cannon, which kept off the besiegers, whilst a musketry fire was kept up from the fort-wall. The greatest execution of all, however, was done by a musket of Gulab Singh's own invention, called pürmdr.47 The fire was kept up so well, that the enemy could not dig any trenches, and all the gunners and artillery horses of the battery, which had been established in the Hazari Bågh, were annihilated. There were also two palians in the fort, who had previously arranged to support Shêr Singh, but Gulab Singh had by an astute stratagem hindered them from obtaining access to their arms, of which he had taken charge. Gordon Sâhib, who was an artillery officer, proposed to blow up the Padshahi mosque, which was full of ammunition, and used by the Khålşa forces as a magazine. The explosion, he averred, would do great execution by annihilating the adjacent localities and Sher Singh himself, whose aspirations to supreme power would thus be suddenly cut short, but Gulab Singh magnanimously replied that it was not his intention to destroy the Khâlşa power.18
** A. D. 1940.
46 Thus the prediction of bis father, Darrated a few lines before, was fulfilled. The event is recorded also in Ch. 4 of the Lafarnama, but not exactly in the same way.
46 Father of the author.
Full of serpents. *Our outbor, who had previously stated that Sher Singh "was supported in his claim by GulAb Singh,"first makes him say to the officers of the Khalsa army that "the Maharani being heir to the throne their duty would be to remain loyal to her," and then makes him go to the fort to defend it against them. There is no doubt, therefore, that he played
