THE SECOND SIKH WAR. 79 



races. Moderation, in the modern sense, is the 

 greatest of all weakness." 



Early in September our guns fired their first salvo 

 against the walls of Multan. By the middle of the 

 month, however, Sher Singh, whose loyalty had long 

 been suspected, had marched off at the head of 

 5000 Sikh troops, and six guns, to make common 

 cause with Mulraj, and proclaim a kind of holy 

 war against the cow-killing infidels who had im- 

 prisoned his queen, and sat in the high places once 

 filled by the barons and councillors of Ranjit Singh. 

 Owing to his defection General Whish found him- 

 self compelled to raise for that present the siege of 

 Multan and await the arrival of further reinforce- 

 ments. 



In this state of aff"airs it was deemed advisable at 

 Lahore to get secure possession of the strong fort 

 of Govindgarh, overlooking the populous city of 

 Amritsar. "I have just despatched every available 

 Guide to try and get quietly into the far-famed 

 fort of Govindgarh, and hope in a few hours to 

 hear of their success. They have forty friends in- 

 side and only a few score wavering enemies." 



A few days later he writes: "My Guides have 

 covered themselves with glory (and dust) by the 

 way in which they got into, and got possession of, 

 the famed fort of Govindgarh. A hundred of my 

 men, under a native ofiicer, — a fine lad of about 

 twenty, whom I have petted a good deal, — went 

 up quietly to the gates on pretence of escorting 

 four State prisoners whom I had put in irons for 

 the occasion, were allowed to get in, and then 

 threw up their caps and took possession of the 

 gateway, despite the scowls, and threats, and all 



