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

TEMPORARY PACIFICATION
that the Rising was organised by the army and the
populace in spite of his orders to the contrary. When
the names of the Revolutionary leaders were demanded,
he replied that he knew nothing about it ! Jacob tried
his utmost to get hold of the leaders. He put many
people, now and then, in prison, simply on suspicion ;
but he could get no scent of the vast and dangerous con-
spiracy. One of the leaders, even as he was being arrest-
ed, tore up an incriminating letter in his possession and
swallowed it in the presence of his captors ! Of the many
who were blown from the mouths of cannon, one was
only wounded at the first firing and was not killed. Still
he proudly stood forth erect waiting for the second round.
Just then, Jacob went up to him and said, “ I pity you
—you must have been betrayed into joining the Rebel-
lion. So, if you help the Sirkar by divulging the names
of some mutineers, your life will be spared ! ” But the
grand hero bore, without a murmur, the excruciating pain
of his mangled body manfully, and “ he looked at me
(Jacob) with a scowl and scorn mingled and answered
unhesitatingly ‘ What I have done, I have done.’ ” With-
out giving out a single name, he turned his face and
stood forth boldly in front of the death-spitting cannon !
Another Revolutionary, just before being blown up, mut-
tered the name of a leader ; at this, one of the Govern-
ment servants present there quietly slunk away and
warned that leader and others who were implicated in
the town. When the English authorities, inquiring the
whereabouts of the person named, came up to arrest him,
he was already out of Kolhapur and safe ! With such
fidelity to each other did the conspirators work, and the
organisation of the various circles and batches was effect-
ed without much hitch or confusion.¹

1. “ But it is difficult to describe the wonderful secrecy with
   which the whole conspiracy was conducted and the forethought
   supplying the schemes, and the caution with which each group
   of conspirators worked apart, concealing the connecting links, and
   instructing them with just sufficient information for the purpose in
   500