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

LUCKNOW
Hodson of Delhi, Brigadier Hope Grant, Eyre, and the
Commander-in-Chief Sir Colin himself—all were there.
There were fresh Highlanders, Outram’s Europeans
anxious to jump into the field from within the besieged
fort, “ loyal ” Panjabee youths, and still more loyal Sikhs,
with their swords still bespattered with the blood of the
Motherland shed at Delhi !
Such was the English army that started towards Lucknow
on the 14th of November. The whole day was spent in
skirmishes between the English and the Revolutionaries.
About the evening, the English army had advanced fight-
ing up to Dilkhwush Bagh. Sir Colin decided to spend the
night there and encamped in the garden. Though the
Revolutionaries led intermittent attacks even that night,
the English army did not heed them and spent the night
there. Next morning, Sir Colin arrayed all his troops and
gave the order to attack Lucknow again on the 16th.
Then, the English army advanced like a tidal wave and
fell upon Sikandar Bagh. Till it reached this place, it
had not met with serious resistance from the Revolutiona-
ries. But, whoever was the leader of the Revolutionaries
there, he did show some splendid fighting. When the
Highlanders, under Ewart, and the Sikhs, under Powell,
fell upon Sikandar Bagh yelling fiercely, it seemed as if
the undaunted dash of the English force would sweep
everything before it. The Sikh Subahdar, Gukul Singh,
waved his sword in the air and tried his utmost not to
let the Highlanders go before his own fellows. Oh ! Un-
fortunate Lucknow ! With the cruel emulation as to who
will drink her blood most, Sikh and Highlander swords
began grim work. But the strong boulders of Sikandar
Bagh would not move on any account. And when the
stones were destroyed, the heroes there would not move
back at all ! For, when some stones of the wall fell, the
English troops rushed there like arrows. Who goes first,
Sikh or Highlander ? Both are trying hard. But, at
last, the man who first reached the breach is a Sikh. To
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