Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c35.s9.2

v3.c35.s9.2

Unable to bear this agony any longer, the Jat soldiers began to slip out of the fort at night in groups, so that the garrison was reduced from 60,000 to 10,000. The poorer people were allowed by Ranjit Singh to go to the siege-camp in search of food. Mirzā Najaf nobly refused to drive them back into the fort for the purpose of intensifying the famine there and hastening its fall. He set up "a standard of safety" beneath which the refugees took shelter and were protected by his own followers. Encouraged by his generous conduct, many rich men too left the city for his camp. Even bankers and members of the Jat royal family sought this means of escape.