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

THE CONFLAGRATION
also many elephants and ammunition and food supplies. But
Kumar Singh's heart and will remained as much uncon-
quered and unconquerable as ever. For, no sooner he saw
the signs of a crushing defeat than he put into execution
the same tactics that he had hitherto been pursuing. He
divided his troops into small bands and, as each division
effected its retreat from the losing battle-field by a different
route, the pursuit of the enemy was frustrated. Kumar
had given the captains of the different bands definite
instructions to meet at a pre-arranged place at a fixed
hour, and lo, when the hour struck, Kumar Singh's forces
had come together and were ready for their march. This
place where they met was so completely hidden from the
enemy that the victory of the English was altogether
barren of any result, and so the English commander had
to stop at the village of Manohar itself to ascertain the
whereabouts of Kumar Singh's army, while Kumar Singh
and his forces were all the while marching nearer and
nearer to the banks of the Ganges !
Nearer and nearer to the banks of the Ganges ! Nay,
now, he has won the terrible race and actually reached
the banks of the Ganges. The English forces were also
close upon his rear. But, as his forces were now greatly
reduced, he decided that it was not wise to fight the enemy
and so he now pursued quite different tactics. He spread
a rumour all over the province that, owing to the scarcity
of boats, his forces were going to cross the Ganges on
the backs of elephants somewhere near a place called
Balila. The English scouts brought the news to the
general who must have felt triumphant of the efficiency
of his intelligence department ! How can now this rebel
chief succeed in crossing the Ganges when my scouts have
enabled me to know the exact place where he intends to
cross the river ?—He is doomed to be drowned along with
his elephants ! So, the British general, with his white
forces, went to Balila and kept himself in concealment,
expecting, every moment, to pounce upon the unwieldy
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