THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. I2t 



some cows, utensils, clothes, and money to be delivered to 

 him, and he retired satisfied. From this fact, every one 

 will be convinced of the incapacity of the native surgeons, 

 or jerahs, in the East, 



After the death of Jewahir Sing, the ranee conferred on 

 her lover, Lall Sing, the title of prime minister. She had 

 been several times endente^ but had always procured abor- 

 tion. The fact was a public secret. It is easy to imagine 

 that neither civil nor military men respected or feared the 

 ranee and her favourite. This was especially the case 

 among the army, whose discipline was in the highest degfee 

 corrupted. Every batallion had two men called punches, 

 or deputies, who dictated laws to the court, according to the 

 resolutions taken by the assembly of the toops. This con- 

 tinued until the ranee and her lover became objects of con- 

 tempt and disrespect, and were often abused publicly, and 

 threatened by the troops. There was no doubt anyi longer 

 that their days were numbered, and at that time they thought 

 it necessary to put themselves under the protection of the 

 English. How was that to be effected ? It could only be 

 done by making war against the English, by which, although 

 her toops might be destroyed, and their opponents take pos- 

 session of the country, they would be personally benefited. 

 Another reason which may have induced the ranee to place 

 herself under the protection of the English government, was 

 possibly lest her fate might resemble that of her predecessors, 

 should her adult son learn in what manner his father, and 

 also his grandfather, had destroyed their own mothers ( vide 

 Major G. C. Smyth's " History of the Reigning Family of 

 Lahore" ). Thus she was between two fires, and thought her 

 only safety was in English protection. The difficulty was, 

 how to carry out their plot ; but they very soon found the 

 means. At that time Teja Sing was governor of Peshawur, 

 having succeeded General Avitabile, and was the only man 

 who exercised a great influence over the troops since the time 

 of Runjeet Sing. The ranee called on him for his advice. 

 On his proposal, false documents were drawn up, which were 

 read in the durbar, the contents of which were, that the 



