repressed only by his stern control. The influence of their more direct leaders, however popular, was slight compared with that of the great Mahárájá. The discipline was intensely severe, almost brutal; but it was effective for the time, though not of a quality or on a basis that was likely to last, once the pressure of his iron hand was removed.
His kingdom now comprised states extending from Kashmir on the north to Múltán on the south, and from the boundaries of Afghánistán on the west to the Sutlej on the east, and contained large populations of various nationalities, of whom, however, the Sikhs formed the leading section; and of them the army almost entirely consisted.
But, by this time, i.e. towards the close of Ranjít Singh's reign, the chiefs and leaders of the nation under him were not necessarily, as of old, the heads of the Misls and of the principal families, but included mostly those men of personal weight and capacity whom the Mahárájá had advanced and brought into his court and into high positions, and had enriched with jágírs, whether Sikhs, Rájputs, or Muhammadans. Thus, there were the three Jammu brothers, as they were called, Ghuláb Singh, Dhyan Singh, and Suchet Singh, and Dhyan Singh's son, Híra Singh, who were Rájputs. There were the Bráhmin soldiers, Khushyal Singh and Tej Singh. There were sundry Bábas and Bhaís, priests. There was the Khatrí, Sáwan Mall of Múltán. There were such Hindus as Dina Náth, Shunkur Dass, and Ajodhya Persad.
