remained much to be done in
the immediate neighbourhood. Chuttur Singh's Hazara forces were moving
about with the intention of joining the main army under another Sikh
leader, Shere Singh. With his newly raised troop of 700 levies
Nicholson dashed hither and thither, striking heavy blows at the
scattered portions of the enemy whom he encountered and damping the
ardour of other tribesmen who had thoughts of swelling the numbers of
the rebels.

Hasan Abdal received one of these sudden and unexpected visits. Here a
body of Sikh horse had mutinied and expelled their commander from the
fort. Nicholson promptly paraded the garrison, placing the ringleaders
under arrest, as he had done at Attock. In this instance, however, he
thought it better policy to show some leniency. When the Sikhs begged
hard for forgiveness he granted it, wishing to show that he was "not
entirely without confidence in them."

Almost immediately after this incident he learned that a Sikh regiment
of some strength, with two guns, was at Rawal Pindi on its way to meet
Chuttur Singh's army. By a quick march he intercepted the rebels at a
place called Jani-ka-sang, near the Margalla Pass. The mutineers had
taken up a strong position within the walls of a cemetery, and if it
came to a fight in the open the advantage lay entirely on their side.

Nicholson made up his mind quickly as to his course of action.
Concealing his men in a piece of jungle, he called out the colonel of
the disaffected regiment and gave him half an hour in which to decide
whether he would surrender or be attacked. What Nicholson would have
actually done had the Sikh commander remained obdurate is a question;
possibly he would have risked a dash across the open ground in front of
the cemetery walls and taken the chance of his men facing the rebels'
fire or turning tail. But he was spared such a crucial test. Before
the half-hour was up the Sikh colonel reappeared to announce that he
and his men regretted their disobedience, and were ready to place
themselves at his service.

Once more Nicholson's reputation for fearlessness had won him a
bloodless victory. Having read them a severe lecture, he dismissed the
mutineers with no further punishment, and sent them off to Rawal Pindi.

From now on Nicholson was busy scouring the country round Hasan Abdal,
reducing Chuttur Singh's chances of increasing his army as far as was
possible. Wherever mutiny reared its head, there was