JOURNAL OF MAJOR GEORGE BROOKE. 
511 
elephant at utmost pace, passed down to Governor-General, Runjeet 
checking pace. Mr. Torrens returned to head of the street, and then, 
seeing all was right, flourished his cocked hat most studiedly theatrical 
in wave, evidently seeking to impress the importance of his act, when 
both great men cautiously advanced, so as to meet exactly at the head 
of the street. The throng was now great of RunjeePs attendants; 
those nearest him being formed of the Ghorchilahs, 1 2 horse and foot; 
the first in yellow silk, the latter in red of inferior kinkhab. Then, open¬ 
ing right and left, the great people met under bows and firing of 
salute from Camel Battery (and a very bad business they made of it). 
Lord Auckland stepped into RunjeePs howdah, embraced, and the double 
cortege moved on, great people taking their places, Commander-in- 
Chief on one side of the two heads, and Mr. Macnagliten on the other. 
Troops presented arms, bands played, and behind, the rush was terrific, 
of horsemen in particular. The centre line of elephants pressing on 
the troops, the Cavalry and Horse Artillery were driven back and order 
broken. Keeping my own, I followed the cortege down the street, 
and as Runjeet neared now and then the side I was on, had a very com¬ 
plete view of him and his son. 3 No picture I have seen is anything 
like him. The audience tent had a square before it railed off with 
khanauts, wherein officers were permitted to go, but only the immediate 
cortege of Runjeet. Not being in full dress, I did not attempt to go in. 
The crowd at the entrance was terrific. Horsemen all driven on each 
other from behind threatened to overwhelm and bear down the front; 
their matches all alight and the body-guard giving way across the 
entrance. In this state, fearing a row, I gave my horse, who had be¬ 
come very fidgetty, his head and will; he immediately sniffed, snorted, 
and with a grunt, as he kept a little room, lashed out twice, floored 
someone behind, bolted on, upset two more right and left, which worked 
way, and he found himself out through the flank of the body-guard in 
great style. I did not attempt to control him, but gave him way, and 
held on hard outside. I viewed quietly the less excited pelotons of 
inferior chiefs and men and rode home to breakfast. 
The two howitzers were presented to Runjeet from the Park, 40 shells 
had been obtained. It would seem that, having found 9-pr. ammuni¬ 
tion fitted. Lord Auckland had, at 4 p.m. preceding evening, sent for, 
and got all the shells of the 9-pr. Camel Battery 3 : the latter were, 
however, sent loaded , the former empty : all the shells had been laid out 
in front of the guns on the ground : as Runjeet went up to look at the 
guns he did not see the shells, tript, and fell on his face, fortunately, 
perhaps, at same moment the Commander-in-Chief tumbled also. 
Previously, men of Runjeet with lighted matches had been walking over 
and about the shells : at this time how little might have produced a 
tragedy ! If a shell had gone off, every Seik blade would have been 
drawn, and every matchlock seized in hand, every looker on been 
1 Properly “ Ghorcharras.” Sikh Horse so called. 
2 Kharak Singh. 
3 G. B. is rather unintelligible, and appears to draw the long bow here ; he means, however, that 
there were 40 empty shells with the two presentation howitzers (24-pounder, same as those in the 
Camel Battery) but no cartridges, which accounts for the demand for ammunition made on Captain 
A. Abbott, commanding the Camel Battery, whose shells had their bursting charge filled in, but 
who only sent a few. 
