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

THE ERUPTION
church have prayers gone forth to Heaven to perpetuate
English dominion in India ! Has this church preached
once at least to its congregation that their dominion in
India is a sin and a crime against liberty ? On the con-
trary, this partisan church has sheltered under her wings
these tyrants, to protect them and to look after their
material more than their spiritual welfare. We have al-
ready got the reward for allowing this den of cruelty to
be established in our midst, in the shape of cartridges
mixed with cows' and pigs' blood ! Run to that church !
Why are you looking on ? Smash that cross, take away
those pictures from the walls, pound down that pew, and
shout, " Din ! " Every day the bells ring in the church.
We shall, also, peal them on our way back. Peal on,
bells, peal on ! You are pealing so much to-day and still
no Englishman comes to the church ! How do you like
the touch of these brown hands ? Fall down on the
ground ! Our comrades are ready to trample you down !
When all the bells fell down with a crash, the mob smiled
to each other in a ghastly way and said to one another,
" Kya tamasha hai ! " " what fun ! "
But there, on the other side, there was even a more
ghastly scene taking place. There was a big arsenal of
the English army near the palace. In this arsenal there
was a vast quantity of ammunition useful for war. At
least 900,000 cartridges, 8 to 10 thousand rifles, guns, and
siege-trains were there. The Revolutionaries decided to
capture this arsenal. But this work was not at all so
easy. If the Englishmen in the arsenal were so inclined,
they could kill a large number of the attacking force ;
they had only to light a match. It was thus very danger-
ous to attempt to capture the arsenal. Still, without it,
the life of the Revolution was not safe for a moment ; so
thousands of Sepoys made ready to carry out the task.
They sent a message in the name of the Emperor to the
officers of the arsenal, asking them to surrender. But
such paper messages never conquer kingdoms ! Lieute-
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