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122 THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. 



English had confiscated the incomes of the lands of the 

 Sikhs on the other side of the river Sutlej, and had 

 committed numerous outrages, and that they were prepar- 

 ing for war against the Sikhs ; therefore it was said to be 

 necessary to have revenge, and attack them. 



Lall S:ng was proclaimed wuzeer, and Teja Sing Com- 

 mander-in-chief of the troops. The Sikhs received their 

 guree pershaut ( consecrated bread ) on the Summood ( tomb 

 of the royal family ), where they administered an oath to 

 each individually ; the Mahomedans on the Koran, and 

 the Hindoos on the water of the Ganges. 



The astrologers having named an auspicious day, they 

 went, without any further diplomatic conferences, on their 

 march. The English, although well acquainted with all 

 those disturbances aud confusions which happened in the 

 neighbouring country, yet had not the least idea of being 

 attacked by their allies, and were consequently not at all 

 prepared for a war. On the other side of the river Sutlej, 

 the four battles were fought — at Moodkee, Ferozeshahur, 

 Aliwal, and Sobraon ; and the English, completely triumph- 

 ing in the last battle, became masters of the country. 

 Teja Sing, whom I attended at Lahore, made to me the 

 candid confession, that, in circumstances like those to which 

 the country was reduced, no other remedy was left for 

 its salvation but to surrender it to the English. It is well 

 known, that on the 22nd of December, 1845, Teja Siog 

 arrived on the field of battle with a reserve of twenty- 

 five to thirty thousand regular troops, after the English 

 had fought a whole day and night, and consumed all 

 their ammunition, on account of which they had been 

 obliged to retreat. tJut the Sikhs with whom they had 

 fought, believing themselves defeated, retired also, and the 

 English returned and re-occupied their abandoned camp. 

 That was the critical moment in which the reserve army, 

 under the command of Teja Sing, arrived ; and he, being 

 in correspondence with the English, did what he could to 

 check the ardour of his troops by filling them with fear ; 

 and he was the first who turmd his back in order to 



