terror for her brother, was seated on her golden hauda, dressed in white Sikh clothes and closely veiled. As soon as the procession reached the middle of the line one man came forward and cried out, "Stop," and at his single voice the whole procession paused. A tremor ran through the host many expected a rescue on the part of the French brigade; but not a man stirred. The great Panch (Military Council) was still sitting on the right of the line. Four battalions were now ordered to the front, and removed Jawahir Singh's escort to a distance. Then another battalion marched up and surrounded the elephants of the royal personages. Ten of the Council then came forward; the Rani's elephant was ordered to kneel down, and she herself was escorted to a small but beautiful tent prepared for her close by. Then a terrible scene took place. The Rani was dragged away, shrieking to the army to spare her brother. Jawahir Singh was next ordered to descend from his elephant. He lost his head, attempted to parley, and a tall Sikh slapped his face and took the boy Dhulip Singh from his arms, asking him how he dared to disobey the Khalsa. Dhulip Singh was placed in his mother's 66 THROWING THE SNAKE." 261 arms, and she, hiding herself behind the walls of her tent, held the child up above them in view of the army, crying for mercy for her brother in the name of her son. Suddenly, hearing a yell of agony from a well-known voice, she flung the child away in an agony of grief and rage. Fortunately he was caught by a soldier, or the consequences might have been fatal. Meanwhile the bloody work had been done on the hated Minister. A soldier, who had presumably received his orders, had gone up the ladder placed by Jawahir Singh's elephant, stabbed him with his bayonet, and flung him upon the ground, where he was despatched in a moment with fifty wounds. Thus did the Sikh army avenge the death of Kashmira Singh and Peshora Singh. Maharani Jindan now became regent, and with her lover Lal Singh, who was appointed her adviser, decided on a policy of aggression. That policy was indicated by the old Sikh motto, Throw the snake into your enemy's bosom," which is even more forcible than the English, "Kill two birds with one stone." The snake was the evilly disposed, violent, yet powerful and splendid Sikh army. It was to be flung upon the British, and so destroyed. Thus did the Rani Jindan in her turn plan to avenge herself on the murderers of her brother Jawahir Singh. The army entered on the war with enthusiasm, and every man took with him a spade from his own home for engineering purposes. The skill with which they used them, and the valiant stand which they made against the British, is a matter of history. The Sikh army crossed the Sutlej on the 8th December 1845. CHAPTER XV. THE FIRST SIKH WAR. GULAB SINGH'S THE SIKH GENERALS-DEPARTURE OF VENTURA AND AVITABILE- AFTER the murder of Wazir Jawahir Singh his sister, the Rani Jindan, was declared regent. Her principal advisers were Diwan Dina Nath, Bhai Ram Singh, and Misr Lal Singh, the first named of whom was a man of remarkable talent, known as "the Talleyrand of the Panjab." When war was declared against the British, and the Sikhs crossed the Sutlej, I was acting as Raja Gulab's agent and factotum at Lahore, and in consequence had great power and influence. Two more contemptible poltroons than the two generals of the Khalsa army-Lal Singh and Tej Singh, both Brahmans never breathed. Lal Singh ran away and hid himself for twenty days one. in an oven at Ludiana, in which the Sikhs would have baked him if they had caught him. Tej Singh always kept at the apex of the army (in the rear), pretending that he could thus have an eye to both divisions, and that it was not his duty to go in front. Tej Singh was never trusted by any After the start of the Sikh army for the front Lal Singh and Dina Nath used to receive visitors, and a succession of picnics used to take place at Shalimar Gardens. The Rani's policy was to affect enormous anxiety for the success of the Sikhs, but to afford them no substantial aid. If Delhi was taken, then so much the more glory and loot; if the British were victorious, the Rani, who was corresponding with them, could trust to their protection. The pusillanimous and ignominious departure of Avitabile and Ventura at this critical juncture much disgusted the army, who wanted efficient and civilised control. There was no necessity to leave that I saw. I was always treated with honour and respect. The state of the army was such that proscription rolls were made out of all individuals obnoxious to them, and they had to be given up. I started originally with the army, but was recalled by the |