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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1890.
the guards on the road to Bahrâmgala and Pûñchh being ordered to deprive the fugitives of their arms. Gulab Singh then marched back to Naipûr, where he distributed Rs. 43,000 among the troops who had shared in the battle. He also spoke kindly to all who had been wounded or were sick, and had them treated with medicines. He then left the Dîwan Nihal Chand in charge of the troops, and marched to Shêrgarh, where orders from the Mahârâjâ reached him and the prince to take charge of the Hazara District. They marched thither, but met with no resistance till they reached Pôkhli and the district of Bâghistan, the population of which had rebelled. Most of the district was reduced to obedience by conciliatory measures and the rest by force. They then marched to the fort of Kishangarh, where the prince Partâb Singh took up his abode, whilst Gulâb Singh encamped at Barâkôt at a distance of four kós off.
News having arrived that Zorawar Singh Gahlória, the wazir of Gulab Singh, had lost his life in an attack upon Mansarobar, the inhabitants of which had rebelled under the leadership of Paindâ Khân, he marched thither, and having punished them, remained in that district for some time. On that occasion Sir Henry Montgomery and Colonel (Sir Henry) Lawrence, who were marching in the direction of Kabul with the English army under the command of General Pollock, had, by the aid of the author's father, an interview with Gulab Singh, during which they informed him, that if he were to accompany the English army to Pêshâwar, and assist it to march safely through the Khaibar Pass, he would place the British government under great obligations to him. The Mahârâjâ Shêr Singh was in favour of this movement, which would strengthen the bond of friendship between the two governments. Gulab Singh accordingly marched to Pêshawar, where, meeting General Pollock and Mr. Mackison with other high officers, he promised them the alliance of the Sikh government, but some time afterwards the Sardar Buddh Singh arrived on the part of Shêr Singh and instigated the Khalsa troops to begin hostilities towards the English as soon as the army had started towards Kabul. This plot having been revealed to Gulâb Singh, he informed Sir Henry Lawrence, who had much friendly intercourse with him, of the intended treachery,50 After the English officers had held a consultation, they told Gulâb Singh that he might arrange the matter as he thought best. Accordingly he distributed, by way of atonement for their comrades in the Khalsa army who had been slain during the war in Kasmir, some thousands of rupees of worth of sweetmeats among the troops; and then held a secret council with the principal Khâlṣa officers, in which he told them that his sentiments were identical with theirs, but that they ought not to commence hostilities against the English in this place, because some thousands of their own young men would then be slain for nothing, but that the proper thing to do would be to keep the Khaibar Pass open for the English army, so that in case it should be vanquished by the Afghans, much of the property and treasure left on this side would fall into the hands of the noble Khâlṣa army. If, on the contrary, it happens to be victorious, the English would for ever consider themselves to be under obligation to them. This advice having been unanimously approved, the Khalsa troops accompanied the English army, and Gulab Singh went in person as far as the fort of Jamrud, meeting afterwards Sir Henry Lawrence at Jalâlâbâd, who expressed his thanks to him. A letter to the same purport received from Mr. (Sir George) Clerk, Agent to the GovernorGeneral, is inserted, dated as late as the 8th April 1842, from Lâhôr.
The Raja of Ladakh having revolted, the army of Gulab Singh, commanded by the wazir Ratanûn, invaded his territory, and the Raja being unable to offer resistance, was fined Rs. 30,000, of which, however, Rs. 5,000 were afterwards remitted, On that occasion Muḥammad Shah, the son of Ahmad Shah, Raja of Skardo, revolted against his father, and took refuge with the army of Gulâb Singh, He was referred by the commander to the Raja of Ladakh, who sent him in disgrace under an escort to Skârdo, where his father obtained possession of him and illtreated him to such an extent that his feet were frostbitten by the snow. Upon this Gulab Singh's army marched against the Râjâ of Skårdô, whom it deposed, and the campaign was extended to such a distance that the army at last reached the
50 This service, however, does not appear to have been as great as our author tries to make out.
