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162 possession of the town by the morning. They divided the city into three shares, one falling to Sirdár Sobha Singh Kanheya, who was in the conspiracy, though he arrived too late for the surprise. When Ahmad Sháh made his last descent on the Punjab, three years later, he did not feel inclined to fight for Lahore, and confirmed Lehna Singh in its possession. The children of the partners were still in power when the grant was made to Ranjít Singh. But the sons of Lehna Singh and Sobha Singh were imbecile and debauched; and the third, Sáhib Singh, the only one of any ability, was absent. The people of Lahore disliked their extortionate rule, and Ranjít Singh was told that he would be welcomed as a deliverer. He accordingly marched with a strong force to Lahore, the gates of which were opened to him, and the two Sirdárs fled without offering any resistance.

The acquisition of Lahore in July, 1799, with the legally acquired title of Rájá, made Ranjít Singh, now in his twentieth year, a very powerful chief. The Sikh barons were filled with alarm at his success, and the Bhangis were especially anxious to avenge the capture of their principal town. In the following year a coalition was formed against him, the most prominent members of which were Sirdár Jassa Singh Rámgarhia, and Sáhib Singh and Ghuláb Singh Bhangis, and it was proposed to assassinate him during a conference to be held at Bhassin. But Ranjít Singh was too clever to fall into the trap. He took so large a force with him to Bhassin that the crime could not