१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

ADDING FUEL TO FIRE
so far the cartridges were being greased with cows' and
pigs' fat. It was necessary for them to issue this new
regulation because they knew this fact. From the Gov-
ernment documents published by Forrest it is clear beyond
a doubt that, in the fat used for the cartridges, cows' and
pigs' fat was mixed, and that this fact was known to the
highest English authorities in the land.⁵ And when the
sepoys refused to bite these cartridges, the Feringhi mili-
tary authorities used to swear that this was altogether
false. Not only that, but they were threatened with severe
punishment if they refused to obey the military orders
through their silly prejudices. But when, regardless of
these threats, it appeared that the sepoys were going to
dare everything for the protection of their Dharma, then
the Sirkar quietly retreated back and yielded on one point,
allowing the sepoys to use a certain paper instead of fat.
But what guarantee was there that a Government which
could stoop to the meanness of using pigs' and cows' fat
would not use some other mean trick of the same nature
to make the paper substituted for the lubricating mixture
smooth ? If once unconsciously they were defiled with
cows' and pigs' meat thrust in their mouths, then the
missionary colonels and padre commanders would say,
"Look here, you have now been christianised!" If, on
the one hand, the military superiors tried to soothe the
indignation and anger of the sepoys by false denials and
lowly retractations, on the other hand, they provoked them
still more by distributing on the parades thousands of big
pamphlets full of abuse of Rama and Mahomed to spite
their religions. The beginning of the agitation against the
5. Says Kaye : "There is no question that beef fat was used
in the composition of this tallow." (Vol. I, p. 381). Says Lord
Roberts : " The recent researches of Mr. Forrest in the records of
the Government of India prove that the lubricating mixture used in
preparing the cartridges was actually composed of the objectionable
ingredients, cows' fat and lard and that incredible disregard of the
soldiers' religious prejudices was displayed in the manufacture of
these cartridges."—Forty Years in India, p. 431.
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