Lehal Library

172 The Agrarian Uprising who took what had escaped the rapacious Sikhs. After looting the doab the Sikhs cast their eyes on the land across the Ganges. The Rohillas, led by Ghulam Qadir, who had succeeded his father Zabita Khan, the English, and the Nawab Wazir of Oudh lined their troops along the river to prevent the Sikhs from crossing over. Madhaji Sindhia ordered his troops to expel the marauders. After the first skirmish he reaJized that he would get better results by talking to the Sikhs than by fighting them. The Maratha agent in Delhi reported candidly: 'The Emperor rules inside the city, while outside the Sikhs are supreme.' Negotiations were opened by the Marathas with the Sikh chiefs and the terms of a provisional treaty agreed on in March 1785. The Sikhs did not trust the Marathas-nor the Marathas the Sikhs. English agents were busy inducing the Sikhs to break off relations with the Marathas. The Sikh chiefs concluded that the English wanted to treat with them and made proposals for an alliance. We shall not discourage these advances, noted the governor general, though we shall 'not meet them except by generaJ assurances until the real designs of Madhaji Sindhia shall have been ascertained to be of an inimical nature.' 11 The Sikh chiefs lost patience with the English and concluded a treaty with Madhaji Sindhia on 9 May 1785. They agreed to provide the Marathas with a contingent of five thousand horses and give up the right to take rakhi in lieu of a jagir of ten lac rupees. The stipulated force of cavalry joined the Maratha camp but were immediately suspected by the Marathas of spying. 'The Sikhs are faithless. Having stayed in our camp for two months they have closely studied everything about our troops,' said a Maratha dispatch. 12 The atmosphere of suspicion vitiated the treaty and within a few weeks it was forgotten by both sides. In December 1785 a Maratha force entered Malwa to intercede in a quarrel between the PatiaJa Raja and the leader of the Si.nghpurias. While the Marathas were in Patiala, Sikh horsemen 11 SC 21 ofl9.4.1785. 12 H. R Gupta. 11, 187.