elets protected
his strong arms, and a shield protruded from behind his back. A blue,
conical turban covered his head, and round his waist were many steel
circlets. The enemies of the Sikhs assert that these sacred sectarian
belts become more dangerous in the hand of an experienced "God's
warrior," than any other weapon.

The Sikhs are the bravest and the most warlike sect of the whole Punjab.
The word sikh means disciple. Founded in the fifteenth century by the
wealthy and noble Brahman Nanak, the new teaching spread so successfully
amongst the northern soldiers, that in 1539 A.D., when the founder died,
it counted one hundred thousand followers. At the present time, this
sect, harmonizing closely with the fiery natural mysticism, and the
warlike tendencies of the natives, is the reigning creed of the whole
Punjab. It is based on the principles of theocratic rule; but its dogmas
are almost totally unknown to Europeans; the teachings, the religious
conceptions, and the rites of the Sikhs, are kept secret. The following
details are known generally: the Sikhs are ardent monotheists, they
refuse to recognize caste; have no restrictions in diet, like Europeans;
and bury their dead, which, except among Mussulmans, is a rare exception
in India. The second volume of the Adigrantha teaches them "to adore the
only true God; to avoid superstitions; to help the dead, that they
may lead a righteous life; and to earn one's living, sword in hand."
Govinda, one of the great Gurus of the Sikhs, ordered them never to
shave their beards and moustaches, and not to cut their hair--in order
that they may not be mistaken for Mussulmans or any other native of
India.

Many a desperate battle the Sikhs fought and won, against the
Mussulmans, and against the Hindus. Their leader, the celebrated
Runjit-Sing, after having been acknowledged the autocrat of the Upper
Punjab, concluded a treaty with Lord Auckland, at the beginning of this
century, in which his country was proclaimed an independent state. But
after the death of the "old lion," his throne became the cause of the
most dreadful civil wars and disorders. His son, Maharaja Dhulip-Sing,
proved quite unfit for the high post he inherited from his father,
and, under him, the Sikhs became an ill-disciplined restless mob. Their
attempt to conquer the whole of Hindostan proved disastrous. Persecuted
by his own soldiers, Dhulip-Sing sought the help of Englishmen, and was
sent away to Scotland. A