■:^:^ Sl^E*(M^Of THE SIKHS; 



" matd /'' oil which prayers are again sMdalbiid.'- The chiefs, after this, sit 

 closer, and s4y tb each other, " the sacred GfdnfJi is betwixt us, let us 

 «« swedrby-btir 'gcripttire to forget all iiiterhal disputed, arid to be united.'* 

 This liioment of Teligious fervor, and ardent patriotism, Is taken to re- 

 concile all animositi^So: They then proceed to 'cbnsicfer ' the danger 

 with^-WhfcIt i^^y^^ai4' thifeatened, to settle th^ best 'j^fens' for averting it; 

 and to chuse the generals- who are toleakl^h^irki^mi^S'^iagain^ thefEb^- 

 j^pii;enemy. "The first ,Guru-tnatd was assembled by Guru Govind, 

 and the latest was called in 1805, when the Biitish ^rm>^; pupuec(^^t|pjL- 

 KAR into the, jP^;ya6. ^^ .^^ , ^, -3 :?,9H:r s-rcl.^'' ' ''"*' 



''The principal chiefs of tfia ^ihhs, are all descended from Hindd tribes. 

 There is, indeed, no instance of a Sink of a Muhammedan family at- 

 taining high power ;-|* a ' circumstance to be accounted for, from the 

 hatred still cherished, by the foilov/ers of Guru' Govind, against 

 th'j descendants of his persecutors; and that this rancorous spirit is un- 

 diminished, may be seen from their treatment of the wretched Miihamme' 

 dafis^ who yet remain in their territories. These, though very numerous, 

 appear to be all poor^ and to be an oppressed, despised race. They till 

 the ground, and are employed to carry burdens, and to, do all kinds of 

 hard ' labour ; they are not allowed to eat beef, or to say thgir prayers 



in the narrative ; saying, lioweverj it was only on this solemn occasionj that these tribes are 

 admitted to eat with the others. 



* The array is called, when thus assembled, the D'al Khalsa or the army of the state. 



+ The MM^ammerfart,? who have become S/Ms, and their descendants, are, inthePcw/a&i 

 jargon, termed Mezhebi Sink, or Sinks of the faith ; and they are subdivided into the four 

 classes which are vulgarly, but erroneously, supposed to distinguish the followers of Mu- 

 HiAMMED, Sp-t.YYAD SiNH, Sheikh Sinhj Moghul Sjnh, and Pat a'n SiNH, by which de- 

 signations the names of the particular race or country of the Muhaminedaushsive been affixed, 

 by Hindu:,. ^ sg distinctions of cast. ' 



