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by casting himself and his followers on the besieging forces and perishing sword in hand. The act of devotion was rendered unnecessary by the timely arrival of Bir Bihangam Sah at the head of the whole The siege was raised, and the raja of the northern Bisens of Rdmapur. came to terms with the Oudh Government. of Rdjjputana,

His territories were erected into a separate jurisdiction, independent of the nazims of Bahraich and Gorakhpur, within which he exercised the full powers of government, paying the tribute assessed on him direct into the nawab's treasury.

Not content with having enlarged his own borders, his next care was His younger brother, Bhawani to provide for the cadets of his family. Singh, was sent to Bhinga, nominally in order to defend it from its foreign enemies and put down the lawless bands of gipsies which have at different times and places cost the northern parts of this district so much. His strong hand soon restored order nor, when the service was done, did it The Janwar lord died without issue the relax its hold on the pargana. claims of his kindred were disregarded, and Bhinga became henceforward a Bisen dependency under the rule of Bhawani Singh and his descendants. Not long after this a second son was born to Datt Singh, of whom it was prophesied at his birth, that within six days he should become a raja. His father, fearing for his own life and that of his eldest son, ordered the child to be at once murdered but before the cruel command was carried out, the rdja of Manikapur most providentially died ; his widow, a sister of Datt Singh's rani, adopted her infant nephew, and another raj passed His last wars were with the raja of Bansi, into the hands of the Bisens. to whom he attempted to dictate in the matter of the succession to his





lordship.

It is said that the two great chieftains were in camp together at Debi Patan during the spring festival in honour of the goddess. A favourite bard of the Gonda raja walked into the Bansi raja's tent, and paid him his salam with his left hand. When asked to explain this rudeness, he said that he saluted Datt Singh with his right, and that no one else was worthy of the honour, an insolentspeech, which resulted in his ignominious expulsion from the tent. He went straight to his own master, and threw a woman's bracelet on the ground before him, saying that when his bard was treated with such scant honour, the master had better leave off wearing a sword. A spark was sufficient to kindle the flame, and the. probably pre-arranged dispute led to immediate war.

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Twenty pitched battles on the boundary of Utraula and Tulsipur ended in the final defeat of the B^nsi r4ja. His capital was sacked, himself killed, and the doors of his fort still decorate the mansion of the last of the Gonda rdjas. Datt Singh now had no enemy left, and spent the few remaining years of his life in peace at Gonda. If we pass over the vague traditions of Khurasa, Datt Singh was unquestionably the most powerful Twenty-two independent chieftains, in raja in the annals of this district. fact the whole of the rajas of Gonda and Bahraich, with the exception of N^npara, are said to have owned his feudal superiority, and brought their forces into the field at his command while the ancient and noble lords of

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