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

SECRET ORGANISATION
Government was to see anything. But, on the other hand,
it had been decided that, until the critical moment, these
Government officers should not show even the least oppo-
sition to the Sirkar. Not only that, but very often it
happened that, when it was necessary to arrest a Revo-
lutionary leader, these Indian officers, who were the
accomplices of this man, used to treat him as cruelly as an
English officer would do, and used to sentence him to
heavy punishment. When the Meerut Sepoys were tried,
it was the native judges that passed heavy sentences on
them ; but it came to light that these very judges were
scheming for a Revolution. Anonymous proclamations
were posted at every square of the city of Lucknow,
written in very strong language, to agitate the masses.
These proclamations were couched in fiery and violent
language. We give the following as a specimen. “ Hindus
and Mahomedans, rise unitedly and decide, once for all,
the fate of the country ; for, if this opportunity is allowed
to slip by, not a single way will be left open to the people
even to preserve their lives. This is the last chance. Now
or never ! ” Though the English authorities knew well
that proclamations were issued every day, they could do
no more than tear them off ; and still, every time they
were destroyed, new ones were put up. The police used to
declare that it was impossible for them to find out as to
who put up these posters and when they were put up.
The English came to know the reason soon after. The
police themselves were the prominent members of the
Revolutionary party.18
Not alone in the revolutions of Russia, but in the
Revolution in India, too, the police were found to be in
sympathy with the people. The programme, then, of the
civil officers was to join secretly in the Revolutionary
organisation of their countrymen without giving up gov-
ernment service and, when the right time came, to work
18. Red Pamphlet : Part II.
93

THE VOLCANO
on under Swarajya, performing those very functions which
they were all doing under the English government.
Now that the wheels of the secret machinery of the
Revolution were set in motion, it was necessary to arrange
that all the various motions should be synchronised. With
this purpose, in Bengal, a messenger of the Revolutiona-
ries went to the cantonments, taking a red lotus in his
hand. He would give the red lotus into the hands of the
chief Indian officer in the first regiment. The chief would
pass it on to the nearest Sepoy. The Sepoy would pass it
to the one next to him, and so the red lotus would
pass from Sepoy to Sepoy through the hands of all the
thousand Sepoys, and then the last Sepoy would return
it back to the Revolutionary messenger. That was enough !
Without a whisper or a word, the messenger would pass
on like an arrow and, as soon as the next regiment was in
sight, he would give the red lotus in the hands of its chief
officer. In this way, the organisation, so full of poetry,
became impressed with one opinion, with revolution, with
blood. The red lotus was the final seal of the organisation.
What a tumult of thoughts must be raging in the mind of
every Sepoy when he touched the red flower ! That
courage which it would have been impossible for the
eloquence of orators to inspire was imparted in those
warlike fellows by the dumb lotus flower and by the mute
eloquence of its red, red colour.¹⁹
A lotus flower ! The symbol, the poet-appointed symbol,
of purity, victory, light ! And its colour red, vivid
19. " A man appeared with a lotus flower and handed it to the
chief of the regiment. He handed it on to another—every man took
it and passed it on and, when it came to the last, he suddenly
disappeared to the next station. There was not, it appears, a detach-
ment, not a station in Bengal, through which the lotus flower was
not circulated. The circulation of this simple symbol of conspiracy
was just after the annexation of Oudh."—Narrative of the Mutiny :
p. 4. (The book also gives the picture of the flower).
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SECRET ORGANISATION
red ! The very touch of the lotus flower makes every
heart bloom. When the Sepoys, hundreds upon hundreds,
were passing on rapidly from hand to hand this lotus
flower, the eloquence of it must have been full of wild
suggestions and wilder aspirations. “ The red lotus really
made all the people one ; for, in Bengal, both the Sepoys
and agriculturists were found giving expression to this one
sentiment, ‘ All is going to be red ! ’, with a movement of
the eyes which betrayed an extraordinary, mysterious
pregnancy of meaning ”.²⁰ ‘ All will be red ’—with what ?
This red lotus and this suggestive sentiment had made
all “ one-voiced ” as far as individuals were con-
cerned. But, it was also necessary to make all the prin-
cipal nuclei one-voiced through mutual visits. So Nana
came out from the palace of Brahmavarta to link together
into one chain the various links—the nuclei of the orga-
nisation. With him started his brother, Bala Sahib, and
his amiable and witty councillor, Azimullah. And why
did they start ? “ For a pilgrimage ! ” Indeed ! A Brah-
min and a Moslem are starting together, arm in arm, to
visit the holy, religious places,—an event without a
precedent !
This was in the March of 1857. Most essential was
it now, indeed, to visit at least once the places of pilgrim-
age—and the first that they visited was Delhi. Only the
Dewan-i-Khas or, perhaps, the atmosphere of Delhi could
speak about the accents with which the consultations were
carried on ! At this very time, a judge of Agra, one
Mr. Morel, came to see Nana. The latter gave him such
a hearty welcome that he did not have the least suspicion
about the different kind of welcome which Nana was busy
preparing for the English and which he was going to offer
within a month or two. After supervising all arrangements
at Delhi, Nana went to Umballa. On the 18th of April,
20. Trevelyan’s Cawnpore.
95

THE VOLCANO
he reached Lucknow, the important centre among the
various nuclei. On that very day the people of Lucknow
had followed the buggy of Sir Henry Lawrence, Chief
Commissioner Sahib, and pelted him with a shower of mud
and stones. And now Shrimant Nana had come there!
This infused the whole city of Lucknow with an almost
uncontrollable joy and excitement. Nana started in a
huge procession through the chief streets of Lucknow, and
a strong confidence was instilled in the Revolutionary
party on seeing their would-be commander. Nana volun-
tarily went to Sir Henry Lawrence and told him that he
had come to see Lucknow out of simple curiosity. Sir
Henry issued orders to all the officers to show due respect
to Nana. Poor Sir Lawrence! He did not know what this
simple curiosity meant. After visiting Lucknow, Nana
went to Kalpi. The diplomacy of Nana was actively going
on, this time with Kumar Singh of Jagadishpur who was
in intimate correspondence with him about this time.²¹
Thus, after personally visiting the leaders of the princi-
pal nuclei at Delhi, Umballa, Lucknow, Kalpi, etc.,
and drawing up a clear programme and a definitely
outlined map of the future campaign, Nana returned to
Brahmavarta about the end of April.²²
While, by visiting the principal leaders, Shrimant
21. Red Pamphlet.
22. Nana must have gone during this tour to many other
cities, but, as English historians have not expressly mentioned them,
they cannot be given. The following quotation is rather important :
"Afterwards, the worthy couple (Nana and Azim), on the pretence
of a pilgrimage to the hills, visited the military stations all along
the main trunk road and went so far as Umballa. It has been
suggested that their object in going to Simla was to tamper with
the Gurkha regiments stationed on the hills. But finding, on their
arrival at Umballa, a portion of the regiment were in cantonments,
they were unable to effect their purpose with these men and desist-
ed from their proposed journey, on the plea of the cold weather."—
Russell's Diary.
96

NANA SAHEB LEAVING LUCKNOW WITH HIS ESCORT
—Adopted from an old engraving

Nana Saheb Peshwa was the brain of the
Revolution of 1857 and had been nursing the
idea for a long time. He was proud of his
splendid collection of arms—swords of the best
tempered steel, modern long-range rifles and
big guns of various sizes. Having once decid-
ed to rise against the British he sent his emis-
saries from one Darbar to another, from Delhi
to Mysore, in order to draw them into
the War of Independence. He himself
came out of the palace of Brahmavarta
to put the various links together. With
him started his brother Bala Saheb, and
his counsellor Azimullah. Ostensibly, he
was on a tour of pilgrimage, and the first place he visited
was Delhi. There he consulted with Bahadur Shah. After
supervising all arrangements at Delhi he went to Ambala.
From there he went to Lucknow. There, his visit infused
the whole city with an almost uncontrollable joy and ex-
citement, and he went in a huge procession through the
main streets of Lucknow. After Lucknow he visited Kalpi where
he had a meeting with Kumar Singh of Jagadishpur with whom he
had been in intimate correspondence. In the tour Nana Saheb
visited most of the military stations along the main trunk road and
he went even to Simla. After he had visited important places and
contacted principal leaders he drew up a clear programme and a defi-
nite plan of the future campaign and returned to Brahmavarta about
the end of April 1857.

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SECRET ORGANISATION
Nana was touring to determine the date and bring about
the necessary unity of purpose, a strange band of secret
messengers of Revolution were going about at express
speed throughout the length and breadth of India, to pre-
pare the people for the great day. These messengers were
not a new thing at all. Whenever the work of Revolution
was started, these agents—Chapatees—have as a rule done
the work of carrying the errand far and wide in the land.
For, in the Mutiny of Vellore, too, Chapatees were used
to perform the same function. These angels with unseen
wings were flying through every secret corner of the
country, setting the mind of the whole country on fire by
the very vagueness of the message. Whence they came
and whither they went, no one could say. To those alone
who were expecting them these strange symbols carried
the exact message and spoke with limited significance ; as
for those whom they took unawares, illimitable was the
conversation that they carried on ! Some silly Govern-
ment officers tried to get hold of these Chapatees, cut them
to small crumbs, powdered them, and powdered once
more, and tried if they could give some message ; but, like
witches the Chapatees had no tongue when they were asked
to speak. The Chapatee spoke only to those it meant to
speak to. It was made from wheat or millet flour.
Nothing was written on it ; yet it inspired the men who
knew it with a strange Revolutionary energy at its very
touch. The Chowkidar of every village had it. He ate a
bit of it first himself and gave the rest, as Prasâd, to those
who asked. The same number of Chapatees were made
afresh and sent to the inhabitants of the neighbouring
villages. The Chowkidar of the latter place would send
it to yet another village and, so, this fiery red cross of
India travelled from village to village, kindling with flames
every village it touched. Speed on, Angel of Revolution,
speed on ! Go thou forth to preach the Gospel to all the
dear children of India, that the country is ready for a
holy war to make everyone of them free. Dash on, Mes-
senger, to all the ten directions, not stopping even at
97
7

THE VOLCANO
midnight, piercing the air with the age-inspiring cry,
“ The Mother goes forth to the war ! March on ! March
on !! Save her ! ! ! ” The gates of the cities are closed ;
still wait not thou till they open—but fly over through the
air. The mountain-defiles are deep ; broken are the steep
ascents ; the rivers are wide, the forests are dangerous ;
still dread thou not, but speed like an arrow with this
terrible national message. On thy speed depends the life
or the death of the Desh and the Dharma. Hence cover
as many miles as thou possibly canst and race with the
wind ! When the enemies destroy one shape of thee, go,
thou miraculous Angel, assuming hundreds of forms at
this critical period of our national existence ! In every
shape and form of thy speed create for thyself a thousand
tongues. Invite all---wife and husband, mother and child,
sister and brother—to come with their relatives to accom-
plish the predestined task ! Invite the spears of the
Mahrattas, the swords of the Rajputs, the Kirpan of
the Sikhs, the Crescent of the Islamites—invite one and
all to make the ceremony a success. Call the Goddesses of
War at Cawnpore ! Call the Goddesses of the forts in
Jhansi ! Call the Goddesses of Jagadishpur. To bless the
work of national Revolution, bring with thee all thy
relations, drums and trumpets, flags and banners,
clarionets and war-songs, thunderings and war-cries. The
martial spirit of the nation is awaiting the signal. Tell
them all, “ The auspicious hour is soon to strike ; so, be
ready ! ”
Ready ! Friends, be ready ! And, O unfortunate Tyranny
sleeping unconsciously and proud on the green,
green hills, be thou ready too ! The world might believe
that a hill appearing green from a distance is really green.
Nor does it fully know yet what a mistake it is to trample
under foot the crown of such a hill. Trample, aye, trample !
Now shines forth the year 1857, and in a moment it will
be clear that the description of Kalidas applies literally
to India. “ In those whose wealth is their penance and
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SECRET ORGANISATION
patience, forget not there is a concealed fire, which, if it
bursts forth, can consume the whole world ! ” O world !
Our India has certainly patience as its prominent feature ;
but do not, on that account, take undue advantage of it
for within her heart, whose treasure is all-forbearing calm-
ness, resides concealed, the terrible fire of vengeance too.
Hast thou ever beheld the third eye of Shankar ? That is
calmness itself while it is closed ; but from it can issue the
flames which can reduce the whole universe to ashes ! Hast
thou ever beheld a volcano ! Apparently it is clothed with
soft green vegetation ; but let it once open its jaws, and
then all sides will begin to pour forth boiling lava. Like
unto that this living volcano of Hindusthan, fierce as the
third eye of Shankar, has begun to boil. Terrible streams
of lava in its interior are bubbling up tumultuously.
Dangerous mixtures of explosive chemicals are being
formed, and the spark of the love of liberty has fallen on
it. Let Tyranny take heed when it is not yet too late !
Neglect it in the least, and a thunderous explosion would
teach insolent Tyranny what a volcanic vengeance really
means !
END OF PART I
99

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PART II
THE ERUPTION
CHAPTER I
SHAHID MANGAL PANDAY
[O] F all the surprising incidents connected with the
Revolution of 1857, the most striking was the
secrecy with which the vast movement was
organised. The clever English administrators
had so little information about the source of the
movement, even after the tremendous revolutionary
upheaval all over Hindusthan, that, even a year
after open mutiny had broken out, most of them
still persisted innocently in the belief that it was due to
the greased cartridges! The English historians are now
beginning to understand that the cartridges were only an
incident and they themselves now admit that it was the
101

THE ERUPTION
holy passion of love of their country and religion that
inspired the heroes of the war of 1857.¹ We cannot suffi-
ciently admire the skill of the leaders like Nana Sahib,
Moulvie Ahmad Shah, and Vizier Ali Nakkhi Khan, who
perfected that organisation with such secrecy under the
very nose of the English officials in Hindusthan. It is
difficult to find a parallel to the capacity for secret organi-
sation displayed by these men, who successfully taught
the necessity of mutual help and united action to the
Hindus and Mahomedans, and infused the revolutionary
spirit among all classes of the people—sepoys, police,
zemindars, civil officials, peasants, merchants, and bankers;
and who harmonised all these conflicting elements into an
army fired with the sacred purpose of freeing the mother-
land ; and all this, without letting the English have any
adequate suspicion of this vast upheaval. Just as this
secret organisation was becoming ripe, the Government
began to force the greased cartridge on the soldiers in
Bengal. It appeared probable that the first experiment
would be made on the 19th regiment. It was the month
of February. Of all the regiments stationed in Bengal,
the 34th was most anxious to start the Revolution. This

1. Malleson says : “ In this lesser sense, then, and in this
   only, did the cartridges produce the mutiny. They were instruments
   used by the conspirators, and those conspirators were successful in
   their use of the instruments only because, in the manner I have
   endeavoured to point out, the mind of the Sepoys and of certain sec-
   tions of the population had been prepared to believe every act
   testifying bad faith on the part of their foreign masters.”
   Medley says : “ But, in fact, the greased cartridges was merely
   the match that exploded the mine which had, owing to a variety
   of causes, been for a long time preparing.”
   “ Mr. Disraeli dismissed the greasing of the cartridges with the
   remark that nobody believed that to have been the real cause of
   the outbreak.”—Charles Ball's Indian Mutiny, Vol. I, page. 629.
   One author goes further and says : “ That the fear about the
   cartridges was mere pretext with many is shown beyond all question.
   They have not hesitated to use freely when fighting against us, the
   cartridges which, they declared, would, if used, have destroyed their
   caste.”
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SHAHID MANGAL PANDAY
regiment being stationed at Barrackpore, Vizier Ali
Nakkhi Khan who stayed near Calcutta had bound the
whole regiment by oaths in favour of the Revolution.
Some companies of this regiment had been sent to the men
of the 19th, and these had brought over the whole of that
regiment to the national cause. The English had no notion
of this and decided to force the cartridges first on the
19th regiment as an experiment. But the regiment openly
refused to accept them and made plain their determina-
tion even to draw their swords, if necessary. Seeing this,
the English, in pursuance of their policy, began to put
down the "natives." But the English officers soon saw
that they were not the "natives" of past days. The
clashing of swords soon convinced them of that. But they
had quietly to pocket this insult, because, in the whole
province, they had no white troops with which to overawe
the Sepoys. To remove this difficulty, an English regi-
ment was ordered from Burma to Calcutta in the begin-
ning of March. The order went forth that the 19th regi-
ment was to be disarmed and disbanded. It was decided
to execute this order at Barrackpore !
But the Barrackpore regiment was not going to see quiet-
ly the spectacle of its countrymen being dishonoured. The
sword of Mangal Panday positively refused to rest in its
scabbard. The 34th regiment wanted to leave the Com-
pany's service quite as much as the 19th. Hence all
patriots thought it was best that the Company itself dis-
banded the 19th. The wiser leaders counselled patience
for one month until all were consulted. And letters had
already been sent from Barrackpore to various regiments
to fix the signal day. But Mangal Panday's sword would
not wait !
Mangal Panday was a Brahmin by birth. He took
up the duties of a Kshatriya and was a valiant young
soldier. Into the heart of this young and brilliant
Brahmin who loved his religion more than his life, and
103

THE ERUPTION
who was pure in his private life and undaunted in battle,
the idea of the freedom of his country had entered and
electrified his blood. How could his sword be patient ?
The swords of martyrs never are. The crown of martyr-
dom shines only on the head of those, who, regardless of
success or failure, bathe their cherished ideals with their
hot blood. But from this apparently useless waste of
blood does the sacred image of victory spring forth. The
idea that his brethren were going to be insulted before him
fired Mangal Panday's heart, and he began to insist that
his own regiment should rise on that very day. When
he heard that the leaders of the Organisation would not
consent to his plan, the young man's spirit became uncon-
trollable, and he at once snatched and loaded his gun,
and jumped on the parade-ground, shouting, “ Rise ! ye
brethren, rise ! Why do you hold back, brethren ? Come,
and rise ! I bind you by the oath of your religion !
Come, let us rise and attack the treacherous enemies
for the sake of our freedom.” With such words, he called
upon his fellow-soldiers to follow him. When Sergeant-
major Hughson saw this, he ordered the Sepoys to arrest
Mangal Panday. But the traitor-Sepoys whom the
English had been used to count upon upto now were
nowhere to be found. Not only did no Sepoy move to
arrest Panday at the orders of the officer, but a bullet
from Panday killed the officer, and his corpse rolled on
the ground ! Just at this time, Lieutenant Baugh came
upon the scene. While his horse was prancing forth on
the parade, another bullet from Panday struck the horse
and brought both the horse and the rider to the ground.
While Panday was loading his gun again, the officer got
up and aimed his pistol at Panday ; but the latter, undis-
mayed drew out his sword. Baugh fired but missed his
mark ; he then drew his sword ; but before he could use
it Panday struck him down rolling again. While another
white man was charging Panday, a Sepoy smashed his
head with the barrel of his gun; and a shout arose from
among all the Sepoys, “ Do not touch Mangal Panday !”
Published by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, 2014.
104

SHAHID MANGAL PANDAY
Immediately, Colonel Wheeler came and ordered Mangal
Panday's arrest. Another shout arose, “We would not
even touch the hair of this sacred Brahmin.” The colonel,
on seeing the blood of Englishmen flowing and the Sepoys
in such a mood, speedily retreated to the bungalow of
the general. On the parade Mangal Panday continued
waving his hands full of blood in the air, shouting tre-
mendously all the time, “Rise! Brethren, rise!” When
General Hearsey heard this, he took some European sol-
diers and rode hastily towards Panday. Seeing that he
would soon fall into the hands of Feringhis and preferring
death to falling into the hands of the enemy, Mangal
Panday turned the gun towards his own breast, and im-
mediately his sacred body lay wounded on the parade
ground. The wounded young soldier was taken to the
hospital, and the English officers returned to their tents,
amazed at the bravery of this Sepoy. This was on the
29th of March, 1857.
Mangal Panday was, then, tried before a court-martial.
During the inquiry, attempts were made to compel
him to reveal the names of other conspirators. But
the valiant youth bluntly refused to do so. He also
said that he had no personal malice against the officers
whom he shot. If there had been any personal malice,
Mangal Panday's name would have been in the list of
assassins and not of martyrs. But Mangal Panday's brave
deed was done through devotion to a high and noble
principle. His sword came out of its scabbard to defend
his country and religion, “thinking alike of victory and
defeat,” as the Bhagavat Gita enjoins. He came out with
the firm resolution to die rather than face the insult to
his country and religion. In this his bold attempt, his
bravery as well as his patriotism are worthy of the highest
praise. He was condemned to be hanged. The 8th of
April was the day fixed for the execution. Whatever
might be the inspiring splendour in the actual blood of
martyrs, the very names of martyrs inspire us with noble
105

THE ERUPTION
sentiments ! What, then, must be the power of the martyr
over those who believed in him when he was before them
in flesh and blood, ready to undergo martyrdom ? It is
no wonder that a divine love for him inspired all those
who saw Mangal Panday. Not even a low-class man
could be found in the whole of Barrackpore to act as
executioner ! At last four hangmen had to be brought
from Calcutta to do the dirty work ! Mangal Panday
was carried to the scaffold on the morning of the 8th,
surrounded by soldiers. He walked with a steady step
through the ranks and ascended the scaffold. While he
repeated once more that he will never give out the names
of any of the conspirators, the noose dropped and the
glorious soul of Mangal Panday left the body and went
to Heaven !
This was the first skirmish of the Revolutionary War,
and so died the first martyr. We always ought to remem-
ber with pride in our heart the name of Mangal Panday,
whose blood was the source of the river of martyrdom !
The seed of freedom that had been sown for the three
years and more, was first watered with hot blood from the
body of Mangal Panday ! When the time comes to get
its crop, let us not forget who first boldly came forward to
nourish it !
Mangal Panday is gone, but his spirit has spread all
over Hindusthan ; and the principle for which he fought
has become immortal ! He gave not only his blood but
his sacred name also to the Revolution ! It has become
a nickname for all those who fought for religion and
country in the war of 1857 whom friends and foes alike
called by the appellation of “Panday.”² Let every mother
teach her son the story of this hero with pride.
2. “ The name has become a recognised distinction for the
rebellious Sepoys throughout India.”—Charles Ball.
“ This name was the origin of the Sepoys generally being called
Pandays ”—Lord Roberts’s Forty-one years in India.
106

CHAPTER II
MEERUT
THE seed of revolutionary martyrdom soaked in
the blood of Mangal Panday was not long in
taking root. The Subahdar of the 34th regi-
ment was charged with holding secret revolu-
tionary meetings at night and beheaded. And when
documents were found proving that the 19th and
34th regiments had secretly planned to raise a revolution,
they were both disarmed and disbanded. This was a
“punishment” in the eyes of the Government, but the
Sepoys of these regiments looked upon it as a great honour.
The European regiments were kept ready on that day,
and the English officers were confident that the Sepoys
107

THE ERUPTION
would repent of their disobedience after being disbanded.
But thousands of Sepoys willingly laid down their arms
like some unholy object, and broke with pleasure the
chains of slavery. They tore away their boots and uni-
forms and proceeded to take a bath in the neighbouring
river, as if to wash away the sins of slavery. It was the
custom for the Sepoys to buy military caps out of their
own money, so the Company allowed them to take them
back as their private property. But were they going to
don the emblem of slavery again after the purificatory
bath in the river? No, no. No one would commit such
an impiety! The days are gone when India would don
other people's caps! Throw away these slavish caps!
Thousands of caps began to fly in the air! But through
the obstinacy of the force of gravitation, they fell again
on India's soil! The Goddess has been polluted again!
Run, Sepoys, run even before the English officers tear those
other badges of slavery, and trample these into dust!
Thousands of Sepoys began to trample upon the polluted
caps; and, seeing the Sepoys dance upon the caps, which
was an insult to their authority, the English officers were
petrified with astonishment and rage.¹
Mangal Panday's blood not only sowed the seeds
of freedom in the regiments stationed in Bengal,
but electrified also Umballa on the other side of
India. Umballa was the chief head-quarters of the
English army, and the English Commander-in-Chief
Anson stayed there. The Sepoys at Umballa struck upon
a new plan, that of burning the house of every officer that
went against them! Every night the houses of tyrants
and traitors used to receive the unwelcome visit of fire.
The work was done so swiftly and secretly that it seemed
as if the God of Fire Himself had become a member of
the Secret Society. There were so many fires and thou-
sands of Rupees were offered to discover the culprit, but

1. Red Pamphlet, part I, page 34.
   108

MEERUT
no revolutionaries played the part of a traitor ! At last,
the Commander-in-Chief Anson wrote to the Governor-
General in despair, “ It is really strange that the incen-
diaries should never be detected. Every one is on the alert
here, but still there is no clue to trace the offenders.” To-
wards the end of April, he writes further : “We have not
been able to detect any of the incendiaries at Umballa.
This appears to me extraordinary ; but it shows how close
are the combinations among the miscreants who have
recourse to this mode of revenging what they conceive to
be their wrongs, and how great is the dread of retaliation
to any one who would dare to become an informer ! ” The
English Empire is based on Indian treachery ! So, in
Umballa, when not a single man turned traitor, the
Commander-in-Chief of the English became helpless and
began to thirst secretly for revenge, at the same time
wondering at the secret conspiracy of the Sepoys !
These fires had now begun in various places in
Hindusthan. It is but natural that there should be sparks
blown up here and there before the vast final conflagration
broke out. Since the visit of Nana Sahib, Lucknow was
in commotion. There also the houses of foreigners and
traitors began to take fire ! The plan fixed upon was that
on the 31st of May the whole of Hindusthan should burst
out in a universal conflagration, so that the English
should have no room to escape and thus die in the coun-
try they wanted to keep enslaved ! Though the Lucknow
branch of the Secret Society had consented to this plan,
the valiant Sepoys could not restrain themselves. Be-
sides, the exciting speeches every night in the meetings of
the Society and the sight of burning houses inflamed them
still more. On the 3rd of May, four such uncontrollable
Sepoys rushed into the tent of Lieutenant Mecham, and
said, “Personally, we have no quarrel with you, but you
are a Feringhi and must die!”² The lieutenant, frightened
2. Charles Ball's Indian Mutiny, Vol. I, page 52.
109

THE ERUPTION
out of his wits at the sight of the fierce-looking Sepoys, im-
plored them for mercy and said, “ If you like you can
kill me in a second. But what will you get by killing
a poor individual like me ? Some other man will come and
take my place. The fault is not mine but of the system
of Government. Then why don’t you spare my life ? ”
At these words, the Sepoys cooled down and remembered
that their real aim was to annihilate the whole system
at once, and returned. But this news reached the officers,
and Sir Henry Lawrence disarmed the regiment by means
of a trick.
But at Meerut, things were taking a more lively turn.
Some Englishmen formed the novel idea of testing if the
Sepoys really objected to the cartridges. And they decid-
ed to force them on a company of cavalry on the 6th of
May. It seems only five of the ninety Sepoys there touch-
ed the cartridges ! Once more the same cartridges were
given them to be used. Again they all refused to touch
them, and went away to their camps. When this news
reached the General, he tried them before a court-martial
and sentenced all the eighty-five Sepoys to rigorous im-
prisonment ranging from eight to ten years !
This heart-rending scene occurred on the 9th of May.
These eighty-five Sepoys were made to stand under the
guard of European infantry and artillery. All the Indian
Sepoys were also ordered to stand by to witness the scene.
Then the eighty-five patriots were ordered to take off
their uniforms. Their uniforms were torn away, their
arms were snatched off; and all the eighty-five were hand-
cuffed. Those hands which so long held only swords to
pierce into the hearts of the enemy, such martial hands
were now loaded with handcuffs ! This sight inflamed
the hearts of all the Sepoys present ; but, seeing the
artillery on the other side, they did not draw their swords
then and there. Then the eighty-five Sepoys were told
that they were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for ten
110