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Rh a reference to Calcutta being successful, Ranjít Singh struck his camp and crossed the Sutlej, whither the Envoy, however displeased at the discourtesy shown him, had no option but to follow. From Khai to Farídkot, which was captured; from Farídkot to Máler Kotla, where a heavy tribute was demanded, Mr. Metcalfe accompanied the Mahárájá's camp, and it was only when the latter proposed to march to Ambála, in the very heart of the States seeking British protection, that the Envoy withdrew to Fatehábád. He had submitted a draft treaty to the Mahárájá which was only concerned with the alliance against France; while that which Ranjít Singh proposed in return asked not only for a firm alliance with England, but that no interference should be allowed in his disputes with Kábul, and that his sole and undisputed sovereignty over the whole Sikh country, north and south of the Sutlej, should be acknowledged.

The policy of the Mahárájá was skilful, bold, and deserved that success which it would probably have achieved had the danger of a French invasion been a real and not an imaginary one. He cared nothing for France, and felt that Napoleon was not his enemy but that of the English Government. If the English desired him to join them against France, they must be prepared to pay. So he pressed his claims on the Envoy and the Governor-General with insistence; he seized everything of Cis-Sutlej territory that he could while the negotiations were pending, in order