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

DELHI
nant Willoughby did not even condescend to reply to the
note. At this insult, thousands of infuriated Sepoys began
to mount the walls of the arsenal. Within the walls were
nine Englishmen and some Indians. When they saw the
flag of the Emperor of Delhi flying on the Fort, the Indians
speedily joined their comrades, and the nine Englishmen
began to fight with the courage which despair gives. It
was evident that the handful of Englishmen could not
hold out long before the terrible onslaught of the Sepoys.
They had already determined to blow up the arsenal in
case all hope of saving it for England was gone ; because
they were not certain of their lives being spared even if
they were willingly to hand over the arsenal. On the
other hand, the Sepoys also, in spite of a certainty of
losing a large number if the arsenal was blown up, fiercely
continued the assault. To their aid came also hundreds
of the citizens of Delhi. Suddenly the terrible boom and
crash, as if of a thousand cannon, which both sides had
been expecting every moment, rent the air, and volumes
of flame and smoke went up to the skies ! The nine Eng-
lish heroes, instead of handing over the arsenal to the
enemy, set fire to it themselves and gave up their own
lives. With that one crash, twenty-five Sepoys and about
three hundred men in the neighbouring streets were
literally blown to pieces !
But it was not in vain that the Revolutionaries, at
last, got hold of the arsenal at the cost of so many men
who fell victims in the blowing up of the arsenal. The
Sepoys got a good store of arms, each getting four guns.
As long as the vast arsenal was in English hands, the
Indian Sepoys in the chief cantonment were under the
English officers. True, they had refused to attack their
brethren ; but they did not also rise against the English.
At about four o'clock in the evening, the thundering crash
was heard which shook the whole of Delhi. The Sepoys
in the cantonment suddenly came together and fell on the
Englishmen, crying " Mâro Feringhiko !" They killed
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