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208 up the whole day till sunset, when the Sikhs, tired out, returned to their entrenchments. Diwán Rám Dyál, with a small personal escort, was among the last to leave the field, and the enemy, seeing him separated from the main body, attacked him with impetuosity, and after an obstinate resistance killed him and all his followers. When the Sikhs saw that their general was dead they were much disturbed, and the next day retreated, burning all the villages in their track. The loss of Diwán Rám Dyál was much felt by the army; but there were many good officers to take his place, chief of whom were Sirdárs Hari Singh Nalwa and Budh Singh Sindhanwalia, the Mahárájá's cousin. He was succeeded in the governorship of Hazára by one of the Majíthia Sirdárs, Amar Singh, who was not more fortunate than Rám Dyál, and was killed by the Dhúnd and Tarin tribes in precisely the same manner, being surprised with his escort while resting after a sharp engagement.

The city and province of Pesháwar became tributary to the Mahárájá in 1823. It was then held for the Afghán monarch by Yár Muhammad Khán, whose brother, Muhammad Azím Khán, had succeeded Fateh Khán as the nominal minister but virtual ruler of Kábul and Northern Afghánistán. The latter, displeased with his brother, the governor of Pesháwar, for making terms of friendly and subordinate alliance with the Mahárájá, marched with a strong force from Kábul, and, raising the wild Yusafzai tribes in a jihád against the Sikhs, met them in battle at