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

THE ERUPTION
wrested away from him by the English. The Nabob, also,
caught and killed every Englishman in his state. Thus,
on the 1st of July, there was not a single Englishman
left in the province of Farrukabad. In the town of Malan,
about forty-four miles to the north of Sitapur, the English
officers had heard rumours of a conspiracy among the
Sepoys and the people. When they also got the news of
the rising at Sitapur, they ran away on their horses and,
thus, the whole district became free without even a drop
of blood being shed.
The third district was Mahmadi. The English here had
sent their families to the Raja of Mithauli. The Raja
saw them and told them that they must live secretly in
his jungles, as he had no power to protect them openly.
For, the Sepoys in the whole province of Oudh had taken
oaths to rise. After sending away their wives to the Raja,
the English officers at Mahmadi took themselves to the
fort. On the same day, the English fugitives from Shah-
jahanpur in Rohilkhand arrived at Mahmadi. But there
was not even a moment's safety at Mahmadi and the
officers sent a message to Sitapur to help these helpless
Englishmen. Sitapur had not yet risen then and some
Sepoys were sent with carriages to Mahmadi to fetch the
refugees. But, the Sitapur Sepoys brought with them
the seeds of the Revolution. They put all the English in
carriages and took them safely till half-way to Sitapur ;
but there, they suddenly told them to get down and killed
them. In this massacre, there were eight women, four
children, eight lieutenants, four captains, and many others.
The officers remaining at Mahmadi immediately ran away
and the whole district was free from British rule on the
4th of June.
Another district near Sitapur is Barhaitch. The chief
officer here was Commissioner Wingfield. There were four
administrative centres—Sikrora, Gonda, Barhaitch, and
Melapore. Out of these, at Sikrora were stationed the
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