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

KUMAR SINGH AND AMAR SINGH
the rushing enemy ; but he moved quietly into the forests
of West Behar and along the river Shon, carefully noting
the weak points of the enemy. In the meanwhile, news
reached him that troops, Nepalese and English, were being
sent from Azimgarh into Oudh to destroy Lucknow. As
soon as with his keen scent he scented the prey, the lion
of Jagadishpur took one leap out of the forest. Unlike
those who would still, in fallen days, hover round their
capital without the least chance, and unlike those weak
persons who give way completely to passion and emotion
to console themselves, our Kumar Singh was the very
genius of guerilla warfare. Though the British army was
marching on to Lucknow, they still had an eye on Jaga-
dishpur, where his activities might be expected to be cen-
tred. Kumar Singh, therefore, postponed indefinitely his
operations there and started for eastern Oudh, to make
one spring for that part where the British army was
weakest, hoping to surprise Azimgarh by uniting together
all the Revolutionaries that were scattered in eastern Oudh,
and then to make a dash, if victorious, on Benares or even
Allahabad and, thus, to avenge the Jagadishpur insult.
On the 18th of March 1858, even the Revolutionaries of
Beeva joined him ; and the united armies encamped near
the fort in Atrolia.
Azimgarh is twenty-five miles' run from Atrolia. Learning
that Kumar Singh was so near, Milman marched on Atro-
lia with three hundred infantry and horse and two guns.
Before the morning rays of the sun of the 22nd of March
had lighted the field of Atrolia, the vanguards of Milman
and of the Revolutionaries were within sight of each other.
Milman gave them not even a moment's time to recover
themselves, taken aback as they seemed to be by the
sudden appearance of the British troops. He began the
fight at once. But, of course, how long could the Revo-
lutionaries fight against the British ? They were soon
totally defeated. What an ending to the vainglorious
boast of Kumar Singh ! All glory to the British army
Published by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 2014.
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