Through the Sikh War
A Tale of the Conquest of the Punjaub
BY
G. A. HENTY
Author of "Beric the Briton" "The Dash for Khartoum"
"Held Fast for England" "With Clive in India" &c.
WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS BY HAL HURST
AND MAP OF THE PUNJAUB
LONDON: BLACKIE & SON, LIMITED
COPP CLARK CO. LTD., TORONTO
WILLIAM BRIGGS, TORONTO
PREFACE.
Among the many wars by which, province by province,the Empire of India was won, few, if any, were more brilliantand hard fought than those which terminated in the annexationof the Punjaub. It is satisfactory to know that theconquest of the Sikhs—a brave and independent race—was notbrought about by any of the intrigues which marred the brilliancyof some of our early conquests, or by greed for additionalterritory, but was the result of a wanton invasion of the statesunder our protection by the turbulent soldiery of the Punjaub,who believed themselves invincible, and embarked upon theconflict with a confident belief that they would make themselvesmasters of Delhi, if not drive us completely out of India.It was fortunate for Britain that the struggle was not delayedfor a few years, and that there was time for the Punjaub tobecome well contented with our rule before the outbreak of theMutiny; for had the Punjaub declared against us at that criticalperiod it would assuredly have turned the scale, and the workof conquering India must needs have been undertaken anew. Ihave endeavoured, while keeping my hero well in the foreground,to relate the whole of the leading incidents in the twoSikh wars.
G. A. HENTY.
CONTENTS
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