104 THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. 



mounted on their elephants and horses. Thousands of 

 persons were assembled in the streets, bazaars, and on the 

 tops of houses, by whom flowers were thrown upon the 

 palanquins. The curtains of the palanquin which contained 

 the remains of Runjeet Sing were open, while those of his 

 wives were closed, in the same manner as when travelling 

 during their lifetime. The minister walked close to the palan- 

 quin of his royal master, being occupied in keeping the flies 

 from its contents, thus showing his respect to the last. On 

 the arrival of the procession outside of the Delhi gate, a final 

 and profuse royal salute was given by the thundering of 

 cannon from the fort and ramparts of the city, upon which 

 the minister and sirdars returned, leaving the remains and 

 presents to be conducted by the guard. The mourning lasted 

 thirteen days, the colour of the costume being white. 



After the obsequies of Runjeet Sing, his legitimate son,. 

 Kurruck Sing, ascended the Guddee ( throne ), who, besides 

 being a blockhead, was a worse opium eater than his father. 

 Twice a-day he deprived himself of his senses, and passed 

 his whole time in a state of stupefaction. It was quite 

 natural that the government could not long remain in the 

 hands of such an individual. His guardian, or tutor and 

 factotum, Sirdar Chet Sing, being desirous to become an 

 independent minister, was a rival of Dhyao Sing, and was 

 contriving to remove him. He intended to assassinate him 

 one morning in the durbar. For this purpose he had collected 

 in the fortress, where he lived with Kurruck Sing, his two 

 recently organised batallions of body-guards,and had ordered 

 the sentinels at the three gates, devoted to Dhyan Sing, to 

 be changed early in the morning fixed upon for the murder 

 of the minister ; but this plot was not concealed from 

 Dhyan Sing, and he hastened to prevent the treacherous 

 act, in which he succeeded by the assistance of the royal 

 prince, No-Nehal Sing and a few of the sirdars ; and with 

 the aid of his two brothers and some relations, Kurruck 

 Sing and Chet Sing were assailed in the fortress before the 

 break of day, when Chet Sing and all his relations and 

 partisans were destroyed. This was the beginning of the 



