the war. All the guns which had been pointed at the British were given up, and the army was to be reorganized on the system that prevailed in the time of Runjeet Singh, and on a scale to be arranged in connection with the British government. The moderation of the British was a surprise to the Sikhs, who had expected the conquerors to take all they possessed, and leave them without a vestige of a government or any thing else. In common with most Orientals, they judged this moderation to proceed from fear, and therefore were encouraged to renew the struggle without great delay. In 1847 there were several manifestations of turbulence, and in 1848 it was plainly evident that war could not be long delayed. The British made preparations accordingly, and when the shock came they were far better prepared for it than at the outbreak of the first Sikh war.
On the 18th of April two English officials in Mooltan were set upon by a body of armed Sikhs and severely wounded; they were carried for safety to a small fort outside the citadel, but the Sikh garrison let in their assailants and the two men were murdered. There was then a general revolt, and the whole fortress of Mooltan, as well as the small fort where the murder took place, fell into the hands of the insurgents. This act precipitated the war, as the English took immediate steps to avenge the murder and accompanying insurrection. Several small battles took place, the rising among the Sikhs spread with great rapidity, they openly set up their standards, and declared their determination for independence, and in a few weeks they had a force of thirty thousand men ready for battle. The British concentrated their forces on the banks of the Chenab, and on the 21st November Lord Gough took command in person of an army of twenty thousand men. He immediately took the offensive by advancing on the Sikh camp, the orders being given to be
