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

THE CONFLAGRATION
from which they expected Havelock's victorious flag to
march over the dead bodies of the Revolutionaries. They
even heard some distant sounds of artillery-fire. Could
they be Havelock's guns ?
The English had not long been fondly hoping that Have-
lock was coming to help them when they discovered that
it meant a second assault from the Revolutionary side !
The Revolutionaries at first opened fire on the Cawnpore
battery, Johannes' House, Begum Kothi, and other places.
On that day, the Revolutionary dynamite did splendid
work. There was a tremendously big breach in the Eng-
lish wall, enough for a whole regiment to march in in good
order. But where was the regiment that would go in ?
If the English had effected such a breach in the enemy's
wall, they would have captured the place in half an hour.
Some heroes among the Revolutionaries fought bravely
till two in the afternoon. The Indians on the English side,
however, excelled in bravery, discipline, and contempt of
death! What a misfortune! This bravery in treachery and
this cowardice in patriotism ! What a contrast ! Run up,
some one, to remove this stain ! It is now five and the
attack is almost repulsed, but run up, someone, though
not for immediate victory at least for ever-lasting glory !
Captain Saunders, beware ! The furious march of heroes
devoted to principle is coming ! It is come ; this band of
infuriated heroes are marching straight on—they are ob-
structed by the English wall but they are trying bodily to
push it away. The English, at this crisis, left their guns
and took up their bayonets. Hail, Freedom ! Some
snatched away the bayonets with their own hands and
at last, fallen a prey to an English bullet ! But they have
saved the disgrace of their country on the field and exhi-
bited bravery admired even by enemies. The fight was such
that the English themselves took photographs of these
heroes who struggled to wrest away English bayonets
from the walls and fought with the frenzy of lions
till death !
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