Singh commenced his career with a characteristic act of treachery. Rájá Brij Lál Deo succeeded his father and made friends with Mahán Singh, exchanging turbans as a sign of their lasting affection. Fortified by this alliance he thought that he might regain some of his lost estates from the Bhangi Sirdárs, and invited the Kanheyas, to whom he was tributary, to assist him. They at first assented but soon deserted him, and went over to the Bhangis, in alliance with whom they proposed to attack Jammu. The Rájá applied for assistance to his new brother-at-arms, Mahán Singh, who hurried northwards and attacked the Kanheya camp, but was repulsed with loss. Mahán Singh had to submit, and the Rájá was compelled to pay a tribute of Rs. 50,000 to Hakikat Singh, the Kanheya chief. Some months afterwards, this tribute falling into arrears, Hakikat Singh persuaded Mahán Singh to join him in a raid on Jammu, dividing the plunder between them. To this he assented, but marching by a different road and reaching Jammu the first, he found himself strong enough to attack alone, and, forgetting his sworn friendship to the Rájá as well as his agreement with the Kanheya Sirdár, he sacked and burnt the town and palace and retired with great spoil before the arrival of Hakikat Singh, who was naturally furious, but was unable to avenge himself, and died soon afterwards. The sack of Jammu brought upon Mahán Singh the wrath of the great Kanheya confederacy, and of its leader Jai Singh, who attacked him with such energy that he
