st of the Maharajah, the Government now selected
two officers to assist the new ruler in keeping his subjects in order,
their choice falling on Captain Broome of the Bengal Artillery and
Lieutenant Nicholson. The latter owed this step to Henry Lawrence, to
whom he had been already introduced and upon whom he had made a
distinct impression. Colonel Lawrence himself had succeeded Major
George Broadfoot,[1] the distinguished political agent for the Punjaub,
and was installed as British Resident at Lahore.

The ostensible reason for the appointment of Broome and Nicholson was
the need for drilling and disciplining the Cashmere army, but they soon
found that their presence was required by the Maharajah simply to show
that he had the support of the British. It was highly desirable that a
display of such friendship should be made, for the Sikh inhabitants did
not take at all kindly to their new chief. After a stay at Jummu
Gholab Singh set out for Cashmere, accompanied by Broome and Nicholson
and a small body of his own troops. Before many days had elapsed he
was hastening back to his capital with such of his soldiers who could
escape from the insurgents, while the two British officers just managed
to avoid capture in the mountain passes, and join him later at Jummu.

The Sikh insurrection, however, had a brief life. A few months later
Nicholson was again in Cashmere with a definite appointment in the
North-West Frontier Agency. He was marked out by Lawrence as one of
the men whom he could rely upon to help in the work of keeping peace in
the Punjaub. Of the other lieutenants of Lawrence--Herbert Edwardes,
Abbott, Reynell Taylor, Becher, and the rest--mention will be made in
due course. Never was master better served than was the British
Resident by these young and able officers.

To the wise way in which they carried out his policy of conciliation we
owe it that the vast district of the Punjaub not only remained quiet at
the outbreak of the Mutiny, but itself furnished us with native troops
who had a great share in quelling the rebellion.

From Cashmere Nicholson was in time transferred to Lahore to act as
Assistant to Colonel Henry Lawrence. This was a pleasing promotion,
and held out hopes of even more important posts in the future. On the
way down to the old Sikh capital he had the satisfaction of meeting his
younger brother Charles, who had followed him into the service and
arrived in India some months previ