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DEFEAT OF THE KHALSA.

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title of Maharaja of Kashmir and Jammu, and Gulab Singh acknowledged the supremacy of the British Government.

Thus, after a campaign of but sixty days, the proud and fierce Khalsa army was effectually defeated, though by no means disgraced, and the kingdom of Ranjit Singh reduced to a position of dependency and subjection.

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CHAPTER XVI.

66 PORT AFTER STORMY SEAS."

GARDNER EXILED FROM THE PANJAB-'HISTORY OF THE REIGNING FAMILY OF LAHORE'-GARDNER ENTERS GULAB SINGH'S SERVICE -SETTLES FOR LIFE IN KASHMIR BIRTH OF HIS DAUGHTER MR ANDREW WILSON

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SEGRAVE THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE TOWARDS INDIA-GARDNER'S ADVICE TO JOHN BULL-DEATH OF THE TRAVELLER-THE SUGGESTION OF HIS CAREER.

COLONEL GARDNER, as has been explained, was not called upon to take an active part in either of the wars between the Sikhs and the British. He took the field on the outbreak of the first war, but was almost immediately recalled to Lahore by the Rani Jindan, mother of the young Maharaja, who desired him to take command of her own guards. On the conclusion of peace a council of regency was appointed to administer the government of the Panjab, and one of the leading members of this council was Raja Tej Singh, who was Gardner's personal enemy.

AN EXILE ON BRITISH SOIL.

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Tej Singh lost no time in taking advantage of his position, and Gardner presently received an order from the council to leave Lahore within twenty-four hours. There was no disputing the order, and Gardner was compelled to seek an asylum on British soil. He went to the frontier station of Ludhiana, where he had friends, and during his brief residence there occupied his leisure by giving to Colonel Carmichael-Smyth of the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry the information which the latter embodied in a work entitled 'The History of the Reigning Family of Lahore.' Those who have read that curious and little-known work will recognise some of the incidents contained in the foregoing pages.

Gardner's period of exile was very short: he was soon afterwards permitted to enter the service of Gulab Singh, now created an independent sovereign as Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.

The latter province was ceded to the Maharaja for reasons which need not here be discussed, but they did not commend themselves to Sheikh Imamud-din, the governor of Kashmir under the Sikh Government. Imam-ud-din declined to surrender Kashmir to the new Maharaja, who was therefore compelled to obtain possession of his kingdom by

force of arms. Gardner accompanied Gulab Singh in the operations which ensued, and when Imamud-din had been overthrown and the new sovereign "had his own," Gardner received the reward of his long and faithful services to the Maharaja and his family. He received command of the "Ranbir” regiment of infantry, and of all the Kashmir artillery, with a salary of 500 rupees per mensem. This income, with the revenues of some villages bestowed upon him by the Maharaja, gave Gardner a comfortable income for the remaining thirty years of his long life. He lived in good style, after the native fashion, being from long habit a complete Oriental, and retained his activity of mind and body to the very last.

Gardner was held in high respect by his native neighbours, and more especially by the old soldiers of the Khalsa who had settled in Jammu or Kashmir. These veterans loved to meet one who had enjoyed the confidence of Ranjit Singh ; and those of them who live still, though now extremely old, are full of recollections of "Gordana Sahib."

Colonel Gardner's last years were rendered interesting to him by the birth of a daughter, who received the name of Helena: there is pleasing

COLONEL GARDNER'S DESCENDANTS.

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evidence in his letters that the wellbeing of this child of his old age occupied many of his thoughts. This daughter, now Mrs Botha, has inherited much of her father's adventurous and roving spirit, and recently visited her birthplace. Many ancient Sikh soldiers came from all directions to see her, and to tell her of their attachment to her father. One fact about Gardner they never failed to mention, which was the curious habit that he had of clutching his neck with an iron pincer when about to drink. This operation was rendered necessary by the severe wound in his neck, which has been mentioned elsewhere. His Highness, the reigning Maharaja of Kashmir, also told Mrs Botha of this peculiarity of her father, he having been greatly impressed by it when a boy. Colonel Gardner's daughter has two children, a son and a daughter, on the former of whom she has bestowed the name of Alexander, in memory of his grandfather.

It will be readily imagined that English visitors to the vale of Kashmir lost no opportunity of calling on the old adventurer, and of hearing the strange story of bygone days which he was so ready to tell. Some of those who delighted thus to hear of ancient wars were famous soldiers, among

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