Pig.Sticking 35 



and Eastern life of which we know so little, steep such 

 a scene as this one in an interest born of mystery. 



Leaving the elephants, we went over the fort which 

 was repaired by Akbar, and from it we saw Shahdra, 

 the mausoleum of Jehangir, Akbar's son. This building, 

 seen from the fort, is supposed to be architecturally 

 perfect, because the full and proper number of minarets 

 can be there seen by the faithful, and represent a 

 concrete example of the Mogul greatness. The palace 

 of Ranjit Singh was interesting, very gaudy in the 

 matter of interior frescoes. Ranjit Singh was the 

 founder of the Sikh Kingdom in the Punjab, and after 

 the fall of the Moguls he obtained from the Afghan 

 King the Governorship of Lahore. He organised the 

 Sikhs into an army under European officers, which 

 for steadiness and religious fervour has had no parallel 

 since the " Ironsides " of Cromwell. As I have said, 

 they were our backbone at the time of the Mutiny. 

 Ranjit died in 1839, having been ever loyal to the 

 English. At his funeral four wives and seven slave girls 

 were burnt with his body without a word of remon- 

 strance from the British Government, the four Ranees 

 burning themselves at their own desire from pride of 

 family and caste. Ranjit Singh was enormously wealthy, 

 and as he was dying he gave into the hands of the 

 Brahmins, as propitiation to the gods, treasure worth 

 a million sterling. The supposed infant son of Ranjit 

 and a dancing girl was recognised as Maharajah 

 Dhulip Singh, and when the British annexed the Punjab 

 in 1 849, owing to rebellion, he received an allowance 



