THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. lOI 



Early in the morning subsequent to that on which the 

 death of the maharajah happened, 1 went down the Tukht 

 ( coronation-square ), accompanied by Col. Henry Steinbach 

 ( lately in the service of the maharajah, Gholab Sing, in 

 Cashmere, now in Europe ), and we directed our steps to- 

 wards the large yard, which we had to cross, in order to 

 get betimes to a convenient place close to the funeral pile. 

 This was erected between the walls and the fortress, in a 

 small garden, the conflux of the people having been so 

 enormous in the fortress. In the large yard, we observed 

 one of the four ranees (queens) coming out of the harem 

 on foot and unveiled, for the first time in her life. She was 

 slowly proceeding towards the place where the royal body 

 was lying, and she was surrounded by about one hundred 

 persons, who kept themselves at some distance, while 

 accompanying her. Close to her side there was a man 

 carrying a small box, containing the remainder of her jewels 

 ( as she had already distributed some ), which she made 

 presents of, handing them one by one to the people on her 

 right and left. Two or three steps in front of her, there 

 was a man moving in a backward direction, his face turned 

 towards her, and holding a looking-glass, that she might 

 convince herself that her features were unaltered, and no 

 fear visible on them. At the distribution of the jewels, 

 Col. Steinbach made the observation that, had we stretch- 

 ed out our hands to receive a present, it certainly would 

 not have been denied ; but we thought proper to leave it 

 to the poorer people, because we occupied lucrative posts. 

 It is curious, indeed, that this was the very ranee whom 

 Runjeet Sing married in the first year of my residence in 

 that country, ten years having passed since I witnessed 

 the nuptials at Nadoun. She was, as I mentioned before, 

 a daughter of Sunsarchund, and she had a younger sister, 

 whom the maharajah at the same time took also for a wife, 

 and conveyed them both to Lahore ; the latter, I am told, 

 had died of consumption during my absence. As for the 

 former, although I was present at her wedding, I never- 

 theless had never seen her before, and it was only on her 



