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

THE CONFLAGRATION
What ! This little chief is to inflict a bloody defeat ? And
then alone is he to evacuate the fort ? Walpole was
furious and ordered his men to attack the fort. The Eng-
lish forces, as usual, circulated a rumour that the forces
of Narapat Singh numbered about two thousand ! When
we are sure of crushing this Narapat Singh, what other
way of magnifying our sure victory than of exaggerating
the strength of the adversary ? So even Walpole agreed
that the forces with Narapat must be at least a thousand
and five hundred. This released English captive who
attests to the fact of only two hundred and fifty men de-
fending the fort, though an eye-witness, might be a mad
man ! The English forces advanced—and that too, not
on the weak side of the fort though its weakness was
well-known to them, but the brave general would insist
on marching against the strongest face of the fort ! The
defenders of the fort began to pour a shower of bullets as
soon as they saw the British attacking the fort from
among the trees in front of it. The shower grew hottest
when the enemy approached the ditch. Out of a hundred
and fifty who marched, forty-six English soldiers were
killed on the spot. Grove could not move one step for-
ward on account of the fire of the Pandays. Now then,
the skilful Walpole, seeing this crisis at the strong face of
the fort, took his guns and rushed against the weak side
of it ; and with such accuracy he aimed his guns, that
the English cannon balls sent from this side crossed over
the fort and fell right amidst the English forces on the
other side ! Many are the generals who fight with their
enemies, but matchless and the first without a second is
General Walpole, who would fight with both friend and
foe with equal skill and bravery ! At the sight of this
matchless skill of the veteran general, another general,
Hope, came forth to save the day—but alas ! he is killed
by the unbearable fire of the Revolutionaries. Even
Grove is retiring—confusion worse confounded ! The
confused British army left the field and fell back, dis-
gracefully repulsed !
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