Tempo:
HISTORY OF THE SIKHS
134
CHAP. VI
Gurkhas and their allies,— a hasty requiwhich produced a remonstrance from the Maharaja, and an admission, on the part of Sir Pavid Singh and the English. Ochterlony, that his supremacy was not questioned; while the experienced Hindu chief had forborne to commit himself with either state, by promising much and doing little.^ Shah Shuja Ranjit Singh felt secure on the Upper Sutlej, but expelled a new danger assailed him in the beginning of 1810, Affrom and again set him to work to dive to the bottom of ghanistan, Mr. Elphinstone had scarcely conBritish counsels. 1809-10. cluded a treaty with Shah Shuja against the Persians and French, before that prince was driven out of his kingdom by the brother whom he had himself supplanted, and who had placed his affairs in the hands of the able minister, Fateh Khan. The Maharaja was at Wazirabad, sequestering that place from the family of a deceased Sikh chief, when he heard of Shah Shuja's progress to the eastward with vague hopes of procuring assistance from one friendly power or another. Ranjit Ranjit Singh remembered the use he had himself made of Singh's Shah Zaman's grant of Lahore, he feared the whole suspicions Punjab might similarly be surrendered to the English plans. and in return for a few battalions, and he desired to keep a representative of imperial power within his own grasp.- He amused the ex-king with the offer of cooperation in the recovery of Multan and Kashmir, and he said he would himself proceed to meet the Shah to The Mahasave him further journeying, towards Hindustan.^ They raja meets saw one another at Sahiwal, but no determinate the Shah. arrangement was come to, for some prospects of suc-
1811-15.
to attack the
Ranjit
sition,
Government to Sir D. Ochterlony,
1st and 20th Oct., Resident at Delhi to Sir D. Ochterlony, 11th Oct., 1814, and Sir David's letter to Ranjit Singh, dated 29th Nov., 1814. During the war of 1814 Sir David Ochterlony sometimes almost despaired of success; and, amid his vexations, he once at least recorded his opinion that the Sepoys of the Indian army were unequal to such mountain warfare as was being waged. (Sir D. Ochterlony to Government, 22nd Dec, 1814.) The most active and useful ally of the English during the war was Raja Ram Saran of Hindur (or Nalagarh), the descendant of the Hari Chand slain by Guru Gobind and who was himself the ready coadjutor of Sansar Chand in many aggressions upon others, as well as in resistance to the Gurkhas. The venerable chief was still alive in 1846, and he continued to talk with admiration of- Sir David Ochterlony and his 'eighteen pounders', and to expatiate upon the aid he himself rendered in dragging them up the steeps of the Himalayas. 2 Sir D. Ochterlony to Government, 10th and 30th Dec, 1
1814.
1809.
3 Sir D. Ochterlony to Government, 7th, 10th, 17th, and 30th Dec, 1809, and 30th Jan., 1810.
134
CHAP. VI
Gurkhas and their allies,— a hasty requiwhich produced a remonstrance from the Maharaja, and an admission, on the part of Sir Pavid Singh and the English. Ochterlony, that his supremacy was not questioned; while the experienced Hindu chief had forborne to commit himself with either state, by promising much and doing little.^ Shah Shuja Ranjit Singh felt secure on the Upper Sutlej, but expelled a new danger assailed him in the beginning of 1810, Affrom and again set him to work to dive to the bottom of ghanistan, Mr. Elphinstone had scarcely conBritish counsels. 1809-10. cluded a treaty with Shah Shuja against the Persians and French, before that prince was driven out of his kingdom by the brother whom he had himself supplanted, and who had placed his affairs in the hands of the able minister, Fateh Khan. The Maharaja was at Wazirabad, sequestering that place from the family of a deceased Sikh chief, when he heard of Shah Shuja's progress to the eastward with vague hopes of procuring assistance from one friendly power or another. Ranjit Ranjit Singh remembered the use he had himself made of Singh's Shah Zaman's grant of Lahore, he feared the whole suspicions Punjab might similarly be surrendered to the English plans. and in return for a few battalions, and he desired to keep a representative of imperial power within his own grasp.- He amused the ex-king with the offer of cooperation in the recovery of Multan and Kashmir, and he said he would himself proceed to meet the Shah to The Mahasave him further journeying, towards Hindustan.^ They raja meets saw one another at Sahiwal, but no determinate the Shah. arrangement was come to, for some prospects of suc-
1811-15.
to attack the
Ranjit
sition,
Government to Sir D. Ochterlony,
1st and 20th Oct., Resident at Delhi to Sir D. Ochterlony, 11th Oct., 1814, and Sir David's letter to Ranjit Singh, dated 29th Nov., 1814. During the war of 1814 Sir David Ochterlony sometimes almost despaired of success; and, amid his vexations, he once at least recorded his opinion that the Sepoys of the Indian army were unequal to such mountain warfare as was being waged. (Sir D. Ochterlony to Government, 22nd Dec, 1814.) The most active and useful ally of the English during the war was Raja Ram Saran of Hindur (or Nalagarh), the descendant of the Hari Chand slain by Guru Gobind and who was himself the ready coadjutor of Sansar Chand in many aggressions upon others, as well as in resistance to the Gurkhas. The venerable chief was still alive in 1846, and he continued to talk with admiration of- Sir David Ochterlony and his 'eighteen pounders', and to expatiate upon the aid he himself rendered in dragging them up the steeps of the Himalayas. 2 Sir D. Ochterlony to Government, 10th and 30th Dec, 1
1814.
1809.
3 Sir D. Ochterlony to Government, 7th, 10th, 17th, and 30th Dec, 1809, and 30th Jan., 1810.
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