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

THE CONFLAGRATION
account of its strength), looking at this sad, sad picture,
she was smitten with grief and tears started to her eyes !
The Queen of Jhansi wept ! Those beautiful eyes were
red with weeping ! Her Jhansi to be reduced to this !
Then she looked up and saw the flag of the Feringhi fly-
ing over the walls of Jhansi, and a strange fire shone from
those weeping eyes ! All glory to her courage ! But why
is this messenger running hard towards her ? He said,
“ Your Majesty, the pre-eminently brave Sirdar who
guarded the chief gate of the fort, Sirdar Kuar Khuda
Buksh, and Gulam Ghose Khan, the chief gunner of the
artillery, have both been shot down by the English ! ”
What a blow this to the already afflicted Queen ! What
a succession of disasters this ! What is your next plan,
then, Queen ? Aye, one and one alone ! She said to the
messenger, who was no other than an old Sirdar, “ I have
determined to blow myself up with the fort, setting fire
to the ammunition with my own hands.” With her
Jaripatka she must be—if not on the throne, at least on
the pyre !
Hearing this, the old Sirdar calmly replied, “ Your
Majesty, as it is not safe to be in this neighbourhood now,
your Majesty should leave the fort to-night breaking
through the enemy’s camp, and should join the Peshwa’s
forces. If death comes on the way, the conquest of heaven
by a dip in the sacred waters of the battle-field is always at
hand ! ” Lakshmi said, “I should choose to die on the
battle-field, but, being a woman, I fear that the enemy
might insult my person ! ” To this the whole Durbar
answered with one voice : “ Insult ! So long as there is
life in the body of the least among us, our sword shall
cut to pieces the enemy who would dare so much as touch
your sacred person ! ”
Well then, the night had fallen ; Lakshmi greeted all her
dear subjects and gave them her blessings for the last
time ! Her subjects were full of tears at the thought that
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