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

LUCKNOW
pore to conquer the whole of India saw standing before
him, suddenly, the terrible Revolutionary band. He gave
up the route and turned back immediately. A word would
have done him ! A sign from the cartman would have
been enough ! And the man who could not have been
caught even after killing thousands of Englishmen would
have been made a prisoner by an ordinary cartman. It
was the difference of a moment. Sir Colin would have
been arrested and taken before Kumar Singh or sent at
once before the Angel of Death !
After escaping from this danger, Sir Colin arrived at
Cawnpore on the 3rd of November. As large a force as
possible had already been assembled there under Brigadier
Grant. The naval brigade mentioned before also arrived
there along with the new English troops. Greathed also,
with the Delhi army, came there having routed the Revo-
lutionaries of the province of Delhi on the way. After
the fall of Delhi, the bravery which Greathed exhibited
in restoring "peace" in the province around Delhi ab-
solutely surpassed that of Neill at Allahabad. It is un-
paralleled. Since the beginning of the Revolution, up till
November, this province was in the hands of the Revolu-
tionaries. But the people in the province were so little
harassed that the English themselves write : "The people
not only cultivated but in many districts as extensively as
ever. In fact, beyond supplying their necessity, the rebels
did not venture to assume the character of tyrants of the
country."⁷ The Pandays had treated this province as was
proper for volunteers fighting for the freedom of their
country—and the British who had set out to crush its
spirit of independence, destroyed it completely as befitted
the proclaimers of slavery ! And, all this, to restore peace!
Burning village after village, hanging on the gallows any
robust man found on the way, and killing the village
inhabitants en route with more recklessness than if they
7. Narrative of the Indian Mutiny.
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