द इण्डियन स्ट्रगल / भारतीय स्वाधीनता संग्राम (नेताजी सुभाष चन्द्र बोस - ऐतिहासिक विश्लेषण)

IN BURMESE PRISONS 151
in front with their doors invitingly open. In one, our worldly
belongings were placed; in the other the living luggage was
deposited. With terrific speed, the prison vans moved out
of the yard and merged in the darkness that still hung over
the landscape. After a while both the vans drew up and as
we alighted, we realised that we were on the river bank.
There was a ship standing near the bank, but we were all
put into a small motor-boat. For three hours we cruised
about on the river and when it was time for the ship to sail,
we were quietly taken up into the ship from the farther side.
By nine o'clock in the morning, we were sailing down the
river towards the sea. In front of our cabins, heavily-armed
guards were stationed and great was the curiosity of the
other passengers to know who we were and why these elaborate
arrangements had been made. When we reached the high
seas, the armed guards in front of our cabins were withdrawn
and only plain-clothes officers were left to look after us.
Our four days' voyage was rather interesting. Mr. Lowman
was jovial and communicative and we discussed all possible
subjects, including our estimate of Governors, Executive
Councillors, public leaders, etc. I even raised the question
of the torture of political prisoners by the police. Mr. Low-
man at first denied the charge, but at the end he admitted
that on some occasions such misdeeds had been committed.
On the whole, though I began with a strong prejudice against
him, I came to hold a favourable opinion of him and this
opinion was confirmed as a result of my subsequent meetings
and talks with him. The night before we reached Rangoon,
Mr. Lowman had almost a nightmare. He complained in
the morning that he could not sleep well as he dreamt that
some of the state prisoners had escaped through the port-hole
in the evening. From Rangoon to Mandalay it was a long
journey of twenty hours. We had a very large police escort
and at every stop on our way, they would line up on both
sides of the train. From the fuss they made, one would think
that we were either high state-officials or wild animals.
Till then Mandalay was but a name to us. I had a hazy
idea that it was the capital of the last independent kingdom
of Burma and the scene of the second Burmese war. But I