92 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



whatever duty is intrusted to him. The Grovernor- 

 General has had frequent occasions of noticing the 

 activity, energy, and intelligence of his proceed- 

 ings, and he has added to the exercise of the same 

 qualities on this occasion an exhibition of personal 

 gallantry which the Governor- General has much 

 pleasure in recording and applauding, although 

 Lieutenant Hodson has modestly refrained from 

 bringing it to notice himself. The Governor- 

 General offers to Lieutenant Hodson his best 

 thanks, for these services."^ 



Meanwhile events in the Punjab were steadily 

 advancing towards the issue which Hodson had 

 been among the first to foresee. By the middle 

 of December the bulk of Gough's army was halted 

 some miles beyond the Chinab about Hela, awaiting 

 Dalhousie's permission to attack Sher Singh, who 

 had fallen back from the line of the Chinab to a 

 strongly intrenched position near the Jhilam, 

 behind the jungles of Chilianwala. Peshawar was 

 already occupied by Dost Muhammad's Afghans. 

 James Abbott still held his own in the wilds of 

 Hazara. But thousands of good Sikh troops were 

 marching from the Lidus to the Jhilam under the 

 standard of Sher Singh's father, Chatar Singh. 

 Nicholson's efforts to hinder his advance had 

 proved utterly futile for want of timely aid from 

 Gough's troops. 



In the last days of December General Whish 

 found himself strong enough to press forward the 

 siege of Multan with so much vigour that by 

 January 2, 1849, the whole of the city outside the 

 citadel had fallen into his hands. On the 3rd of 



^ Hodson of Hodson's Horse. 



