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

THE INTERLUDE AND THE PUNJAB
towards the evening. But the Revolutionaries rained a
perfect shower of cannon balls on the advancing English
and, before the broken ranks of the English could reform
to advance, they retired from the field in good order.
Never mind, Sepoys, in one day you have shown great
improvement. Even if you are so defeated again to-
morrow, even then, the English are done for. For now
they have not enough strength left even for petty skir-
mishes. On the first day of June, an army was seen
marching towards the rear of the already straitened Eng-
lish camp. The English were utterly confounded when
they found this army to be composed of brown soldiers !
They were preparing, with despair in their hearts, to
defend themselves, when they soon discovered that this
army was not the army of the Revolutionaries, but only
the Gurkhas under Major Reid coming to help them. The
English army from Umballa was helped by the Sikhs, the
army from Meerut was helped by the Gurkhas ! Under
these circumstances, what were the poor Revolutionaries
of Delhi to do ? The two English armies, effected a junc-
tion on the 7th of June. At the same time, the siege-
train prepared with the help of the Raja of Nabha also
arrived safely. The Sepoys of the 5th regiment were en-
treating the Gurkhas to revolt and capture the siege-train
as soon as it arrived at Umballa. But the Gurkhas flatly
refused to serve their country and their religion, and the
siege-train arrived at Delhi. And the united army of the
English arrived scatheless right up to Alipur, near Delhi.
Hearing that the English army had arrived at Alipur,
the Revolutionaries again came out of Delhi and met
the English army near Bundel-ki-Sarai. At this moment,
the English army was in a most efficient condition, with
all the necessary complement of artillery and other engines
of war, good commanders, fresh and numerous soldiers,
and an advantageous position. The Revolutionaries had
nothing but the goodness of their cause to support them.
Their leader was a prince who had never seen a battle-
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