I08 THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. 



ard motives of the minister, I cannot agree with this 

 assertion. Firstly, he would certainly have spared the life 

 of his nephew Oottum Sing, whom he loved, and would have 

 appointed another companion to the prince, and also have 

 kept himself somewhat farther from the place at which 

 the accident happened. He could not foresee the moment 

 of the downfall of the wall, nor calculate the distance where 

 he might escape the ruin : as a proof of which, his arm was 

 severely contused and injured, for which I myself attended 

 him. Secondly, he would certainly have arranged that 

 Sheer Sing should be at hand, in order to raiss him 

 immediately to the throne, by which he would have^prevent- 

 ed the consultations which daily took place in the fortress 

 for foureen days, nntil at last it was decided that the Ranee 

 Chund Kour, mother of No-Nehal Sing, and heiress, 

 should occupy the throne, which she did not know how to 

 maintain. There is more reason to suppose that the 

 partisans of Kurruck Sing and Chet Sing were the authors 

 of this plot against the prince, as he had intended to 

 ask them for an account of their perfidious behaviour 

 during his father's long illness, they having cheated and 

 robbed him in the most shameful manner, and it was 

 generally known that immediately after the faneral rites 

 of his father, he ( the prince ) intended to order seven of 

 their houses to be closed, and inquiries to be made. 



During the conferences of the sirdars in the fortress, 

 which lasted for a fortnight, the Ranee Chund Kour attempt- 

 ed the life of Sheer Sing ; but Dhyan Sing was soon informed 

 of it, and warned hXs potUge. Sheer Sing did not forget it, and 

 when he afterwards took the reins of government into his 

 hands, it happened that during his absence from Lahore, 

 the slave-girls of Chund Kour crushed the head of their 

 mistress with a brick, whilst she was enjoying her siesta. 

 Dhyan Sing proceeded, in the absence of the king, against 

 the assassins, and caused tiieir noses, ears and hands to 

 be cut off, which was effected publicly, before the kotoali 

 (police-office), and expelled them from the city ; but as 

 their tongues had remained unhurt, they alleged that they 



