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

THE ERUPTION
dining with his subordinates, the nine o'clock gun went
off. Seeing that the man who had brought information
this time was one who had proved a false prophet before,
Henry Lawrence bent forward and said sarcastically,
"Your friends are not punctual!"
Not punctual! Hardly had he finished the sentence, when
he heard the crashing noise of the rifles of the 71st regi-
ment. As previously settled amongst themselves, at the
nine o'clock gun, a detachment of this regiment attacked
the bungalows of the English. The mess-house of the 71st
regiment was set on fire and the Englishmen were
fired at. Lieutenant Grant who was attempting to escape
was hidden under a mattress by some one; but someone
else gave the information to the Sepoys. He was dragged
out and killed. While Lieutenant Hardinge was guarding
some streets with his cavalry, he also received a sword-cut.
The cantonment was on fire. Brigadier Handscomb was
also killed. The English soldiers and a few Sepoys who
stuck to the English flag were under arms all night, trying
to check the spread of the rising as much as possible. On
the morning of the 31st of May, Henry Lawrence marched
on the Revolutionaries with the English soldiers under
him and a few Sepoys who were still loyal to the English.
But, on the way, the 7th cavalry regiment that was with
him also rose. He left them to join the Revolutionaries
and returned. Though the English had the whole of the
32nd regiment stationed at Lucknow, besides the artillery,
before sunset, the 71st infantry, the 48th infantry, and the
7th cavalry regiment, together with the irregular troops,
hoisted up the flag of freedom.
At a distance of fifty-one miles to the north-west of Luck-
now is the town of Sitapur. There were stationed here
the 41st infantry and the 9th and 10th irregular infantries.
At Sitapur also stayed the commissioner of the province
and other big officials. On the 27th of May, some English
houses had been set fire to. But the English had not yet
246