oI)Iiged to invite th^.M^/jri^^^lej^dersvRAGHUNAT'H Ra'o, SaheB Pateix, 

 and Malha'k Ra'o, to enter Ii}ie;p6'«7i6: aided-by these chiefs, he first 

 advanced to ^S^r/wwi/where he wa^ joined by Isomei^'/y^/i^ that remained 

 attached to him. Samab Khan, the officejr Vi?ha had been left in charge 

 of Sarkind, by Ahmed Kha'n, found himself qbligedto evacuate that place; 

 which he had ri^isooner done, than the /S'f^^^; .began to plunder. Ths 

 Mahrdtas, always[ jgalQiJ^; of > their booty, determined to attack and punish 

 them for this violatioivof ,vvhat they dejemed their^exclusive privilege; but 

 Adina Be'g, receivipg iptelligen<5e of their intentions, communicated it to 

 the Sikhs, who, taking advantage (0f tlie darknesspf the night, sa^ 

 iseives by flight. .hqiua ^Isu^f- 



AFTER^the fiilj of Surhind, the Mahrdtas, accompanied by Adina Be'g 

 Kha'Nj^ advanced to Lahore, and soon expelled both the Sikhs and the Af-^ 

 ghdns from the principal towns of the provinces of Sarhind and Lahore, 

 of which they not only took possession, but sent a governor to the pro-' 

 vince of Mul^dn; and Saheb.Pateil advanced to the ^i^^or^,* where he 

 remaitijed for a few months. But the c.ommotions of Hindustan and the 



Dek'kifij S90H obliged these foreigners to abandon the Penjdb, which they 



, " .-_ ■;,.;.] ':)'V, fr. :.::-■/ ■^<.\ •.. ! ^r^\\\[\rs\ \::.v\ \ ■-: , - ; . ■ 



did th,e , sanie^ y;e.ar they had rieduced it . They appointed Adina Beg- 

 Kha'n, governor of Lahore. He died in the ensuing year, and, by his death, 

 afforded an opportunity to the Sikhs, which they eagerly seized, to make 

 mern'selves Sgain mastei's of 'the province tt "Lahore, Tlieir" i^lic6elk '\^as, 

 no^ever, soon checked by^'AHR^rED SriAHABD'ALV, who, irritated t»y' their 

 unsubdued turbuleHce,''aiid' obstinate intrepiclity,'fnade ^Very eflbrr (aftet 

 tc had gained the victory of Pdnipat'h, which established his supremacy 



* The empire of the Mahrdtas had, at this prauJ inoinent, reached its zenith. Tte battlfit 

 of J^dnii}alli tooi place soon afterwards 3 since >vliicb it has rapidly declined. 



