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

THE ERUPTION
of Sepoys coming from Meerut. The few Sepoys sur-
rendered and were ordered to lay down their arms. The
Meerut Sepoys pretended to obey the order, disarmed the
enemy of his suspicion, and then suddenly took up their
arms and massacred their captors! Before this news got
about, the Sepoys entered a Hindu temple near by, and hid
themselves there with all their arms. When the collector of
Itawa, Mr. A. O. Hume, heard this, he and Daniell took
some Indian soldiers and marched to attack the temple.
At first, Mr. Hume was confident that the handful of
Sepoys must have been killed by the populace even before
his little corps attacked them ! But, when they came near
the temple, they discovered that the townsmen, instead of
killing them, were singing their praises and giving them
provisions. Though the villagers thus belied his ex-
pectations, Daniell thought that at least his Sepoys and
police would stand by him. 'With immense confidence,
he gave the order to attack the temple and himself rushed
forward. But who followed him ? Only a single Sepoy
was inclined to obey his order ! But this white com-
mandant and his black slave were both despatched in an
instant by bullets from the Sepoys in the temple, and Mr.
Hume, who was proudly coming up, left the Sepoys in
peace at the temple and took to his heels !
On this day, the 19th of May, a rumour was afloat that
the army at Itawa was going to rise. But the head-quar-
ters were at Aligarh, and, as the order to rise had not yet
come, the Sepoys at Itawa remained quiet. And it would
have remained so till the 31st of May but for the fact
that in the meantime the self-sacrifice of the Brahmin
martyr set the Revolutionary flames glowing. When, on
the 22nd, the news came that Aligarh had risen, Itawa
rose also. On the 23rd of May, the whole army rose,
shouting, "Har ! Har ! Mahadev !", sword in one hand
and a lighted torch in the other. The Sepoys then attack-
ed the English camp. They looted the treasury, broke
prisons, and told the English that, unless they left the
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