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JUNE, 1891.)
NOTICE OF THE GULABNAMA.
219
In St. 1907,8 the Darda people, who possessed, on the north-western frontier of Kaśmir, the strong and inaccessible fort of Chilas in the mountains, made incursions and plundered the adjacent possessions of Galáb Singh. The severity of the winter prevented their punishment. So he despatched in the spring of the following year Diwan Hari Chand with sufficient forces and officers, including the Wazir Zoråwar, Colonel Bijai Singh, Colonel Jawahir Singh, Půjan Singh, and Diwan Thakurdâs to attack the fort. They accordingly besieged it in spite of its extreme height, expecting to starve the garrison into surrender, but did not succeed. The commissariat of the besieging force was defective, and no provisions were obtainable on the spot, whilst the male portion of the garrison was indefatigable during the night, and the women continued firing musketry during the day. A portion of the troops in command of Colonel Davi Singh Jandiwâlâ erected a stockade in a place called Sangal, but he was attacked in the night by the population of the surrounding district, and in the fight the commander barely escaped with life. Meanwhile the besiegers attempted to take the fort by storm, but the scaling ladders were too short. The garrison burled stones as well as fired upon the assailants and killed about 1,500 of them, among whom were also several brave officers. For all that, however, the besieging force did not lose heart, but subsisted on the leaves and bark of trees for food. During this campaign Gulab Singh's health declined, as he suffered from diabetes, and Ranbir Singh, being stationed at Sôpûr, carried on the administration of the district with the aid of the author of this work, who had been attached to his service. Mean. while the besiegers, who knew that the garrison of the fort of Chilâs would be compelled to surrender if it could be deprived of water, dug a mine, and caused all the water to flow out from the only tank in the fort, whereon the garrison drank oil for three days, and was from thirst ander the necessity of beginning negotiations for surrender. While these were going on the people of the fort began gradually to leave it, whereon most of them were slain or retained as prisoners. The grain stored in the fort relieved the troops from the miseries of hunger but before they departed they burnt the place, taking with them some chiefs of the district whom they had made prisoners, such as Düri Khan, Rahmatu'llah and others. They were however, set free on promising to pay tribute, bat their sons were retained as hostages.
As already noticed Gulab Singh became sick during this campaign, but when the information reached him that his troops were suffering from hunger, he averred that his malady had disappeared and insisted on marching in person to the scene of hostilities. His courtiers dissuaded him, and suggested that any one of them would gladly undertake the duty, whereon he appointed for that purpose Diwan Nihâl Chand and the Pandit Raja Khâk. On that occasion also Jotisht Brajlal, who was a perfect astrologer, came forward, and told him to be of good cheer because the fort of Chilâs had been, or would be taken on that day by his brave warriors, who would find in it boundless stores of grain. The Mahârâjâ was incredulous, but the prediction was nevertheless fulfilled, and he rewarded the astrologer amply.
Having partially recovered from his diabetes, Gulab Singh left Srinagar and went to Jammûn. He was joined during the march by Moti Singh, who had a grievance against the Raja Jawahir Singh and met him at a distance of one farsang from Jammûn. The two Râjâs, Môti and Jawahir, were brothers, and as their dispute could not be settled locally, it was submitted to the English authorities, for which purpose they departed to LÅhôr. From Jammûn Gulab Singh went to Riâsî, which is four farsangs to the north of it, and there he was informed that Santokh Singh, the Thanader of Gilgit, had left the fort with the garrison, trusting to the false promises of the Raja of Nagari, and was slain by the rebels. But Devi Dås commanding the fort of Manawar held out for some time, and at last sallied forth to be killed by his antagonists, who amounted to more than 4000. He had, however, taken the precaution of slaying all the women to save their honour, and then sacrified his own life, fighting bravely. The same fate overtook Bhep Singh who held the fort of Pari, for he too was compelled by hunger to come out and give battle to the Raja of Nagari, who had sworn that he
. A. D. 1850.
