THE SECOND SIKH WAR. 85 



By the 20tli Wheeler's force had got within two 

 marches of the place aforesaid. In spite of Hodson's 

 urgent entreaties the brigadier was for moving for- 

 ward so slowly that Hodson felt himself " compelled 

 to out-manoeuvre him by a bold stroke." On the 

 following morning he pushed on ahead with his 

 Guides about ten miles to a fort held by a doubt- 

 ful Sikh sirdar. He had with him only 100 men, 

 while the enemy " was only eight miles off with 

 4000 — rabble, to be sure, and fellows who have no 

 heart for fighting." 



In a moment Hodson's mind was made up, and 

 here he must tell his own story : " I therefore 

 ' boned ' the chief's two confidential servants, who 

 w^ere in his dwelling-house outside the fort, and 

 taking one on each side of me, walked up to the 

 gateway and demanded admission ; they hesitated 

 and made excuses. I significantly hinted that my 

 two companions should be responsible if a shot was 

 fired ; the stout Sikh heart failed, and I was ad- 

 mitted. My proceeding was justified, and rendered 

 most opportune, by the discovery that the garrison 

 were preparing munitions of war, mounting guns, 

 and looking saucy. I turned them out by the 

 same means as I had gained admittance — viz., by 

 hinting that if any resistance was made the head- 

 men by my side were doomed. Putting in sixteen 

 of my Guides to hold it until further orders, I took 

 up my quarters outside for the night, and prepared 

 to attack another small mud fort near at hand in 

 the morning. 



"However, my friends ran away in the night 

 in a fright, and thus I had opened the road to 

 Kalallwala without firing a shot." 



