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

THE ERUPTION
The Sepoys took the treasure and marched towards Delhi
and all the English officers at Budaun began to run about
in the forests at night. Under privations of food and
clothing for weeks, hiding everywhere, sometimes in the
stable of some villager, sometimes in deserted houses,
English collectors, and magistrates, and English women,
were running about to save their lives. Some of them
were killed, some died, and some lived under the protection
of kindly "natives!"
In this manner, the whole province of Rohilkhand rose
in a day! In Bareilly, in Shahjahanpur, in Moradabad,
in Budaun, and other district towns, the military, the
police, and the citizens issued Proclamations and deported
the British Power in the space of a few hours! The Eng-
lish power was smashed and the Swadeshi government was
put in its stead; British flags were torn down, and green
flags began to fly in the court-houses and police-stations
and offices. India assumed the role of ruler and England
was put in the prisoner’s dock! This extraordinary trans-
formation took place in a whole province in a few hours!
What wonder that not a drop of Swadeshi blood was shed
in freeing the whole of Rohilkhand? Instead of saying
"Rohilkhand is dependent," all said "Rohilkhand is free,"
and the thing was done! On one day, unanimously,
everywhere and at once, the police, the Sepoys, and citi-
zens rose and drove away the few English officers in the
district towns. No more pains than this were required to
make the province free! A strong organisation of secret
societies, and the swift and clever execution of the plan
proposed, these were the two things which enabled Rohil-
khand to free itself from the English and accept the rule
of Khan Bahadur Khan.
All the Sepoys went away to Delhi to fight under the
leadership of Bakht Khan, the head of the Bareilly artil-
lery above-mentioned. Then, Khan Bahadur Khan
formed a new force to keep order in the province and the
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