मेरा आजीवन कारावास / माझी जन्मठेप (स्वातंत्र्यवीर सावरकर - काले पानी का ऐतिहासिक संस्मरण)

Ceylonese Christian told him frankly that he was no more a Christian and the news
astounded him. He carried the matter to the Superintendent and the latter started an
enquiry. And our activities became a subject of discussion among the authorities. It must
be said to the credit of the officers that they showed no temper over the matter. The
investigation was conducted in a judicial frame of mind.
Just before this incident, report reached my ears that the Mussulmans had plotted
to catch a Bengali prisoner into their net. He was a young boy and an addict to 'ganja'
and, in the intoxication, had stabbed a person. He was 18 years old and was sentenced for
that purpose. As soon as he was admitted into the jail, Mirza Khan took a fancy for him
and managed to keep him under his Mussulman warders. Having felt that they had
assimilated him completely with them, they made up their mind to convert him to Islam.
So soon as I got the news I set upon him a young Hindu prisoner to dissuade him from
that course. This young man was a gooncla of goondas in the Andamans. Having served
his sentence for ten years in this prison, he always had about him plenty of money. He
always carried from ten to twelve guineas in the pouch of his throat. Four times he bad
run from the settlement to be in hiding in the dark jungles of the Andamans. Though he
was a dare-devil and had committed horrible deeds to survive in the adverse conditions of
prison-life, he was not a man' of wicked heart. He was a man inclined to virtue and with
deep faith in God. He was loyal to his friends. He was prepared to run any risk to save a
friend. We decided that this Hindu should stay just where they had kept that boy and, at
the proper time, expose the whole plot. Although the political prisoners were forbidden to
move from one place to another without the permission of Mr. Barrie, the task of
transferring ordinary prisoners was assigned to a Munshi. The Hindu prisoner in question
tipped the Munshi to the tune of two rupees and got himself changed to a room adjoining
the room of this young boy. Within eight days of his stay in that room the boy became his
intimate friend. The elder man talked to him seriously on religion, country and caste, and
completely got him under his influence. As a result, the boy unfolded to him the whole
story of their dealings with him and their future plans to capture him for Islam. The boy
further added that he hated Mirza Khan bitterly, but could not resist him and his like
openly for fear they would persecute him all the more for such resistance. It was for his
older friend to protect and save him from them. The Hindu friend had made up his mind
about the matter and consulted me about it. With my consent and approval, he finally
decided that he was to lie low till the last day, and to catch them in the very act of
conversion. One Sunday, the Muslim tindal in charge of the block, and, who had taken
the lead in the boy's conversion to Islam, approached the boy and asked him to wait
outside his room, when others were properly locked up in their respective cells.
Thereafter, some five or ten of them involved in the plot seated themselves beside the
reservoir and opened a packet of sweets (Jilebi) from which they were to ask the boy to
partake with them. Everything was ready for the ceremony—water, jilebi and men who
were to partake them from one pot and one packet. The boy was brought down, he was
made to recite 'Kalma', and he was told the occasion and the importance of their coming
together that day. He was plainly warned, that, if that day, he declined or hesitated to be a
convert to Islam, he would lose all the facilities they had given him so far, he would be
regarded as ungrateful wretch, and no further mercy would be shown to him. He would
be subdued by the hardest labour that would fall to his lot thereafter. While the threat and