Page:Viscount Hardinge and the Advance of the British Dominions into the Punjab.djvu/103

Rh scenes, they vary in details and contain information hitherto unpublished.

Having myself ridden into Firozpur with the Governor-General on December 23rd, I was an eye-witness of his rencontre with the cavalry and artillery coming out of the town. The Governor-General was naturally very indignant when he approached the head of the column, and addressed them in unmeasured terms. He then turned to Captain L——, demanding an explanation from that unfortunate officer, who was evidently suffering from the effects of a sunstroke. On being asked why he appeared in such a dress (having nothing on his legs but paijamas), he told us that during the action of the previous day his overalls had been so riddled with balls that they had dropped off! It was most unfortunate that his order was obeyed as coming from the Commander-in-Chief, who being on the right flank was totally ignorant of what was going on, while the camp was left more or less at the mercy of Tej Singh's force.

Good, however, sometimes comes out of evil. It has been surmised that the Sikhs, seeing this large force of cavalry moving to the left, imagined that their flank was being turned, and dreaded being cut off from the river. Others have thought that treachery on the part of Tej Singh was the true motive of his retreat. Certain it is that from want of ammunition our army was in a greater state of peril than even the night before. Happening to be alone with the