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

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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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MEERUT
years, and these religious martyrs were hurried away to
their prisons, bending under the heavy prisoners' chains !
What sign their compatriots made to these religious
martyrs at the time, the future will soon unfold. This
sign must have encouraged them ! We will destroy the
foreign slavery, under which to refuse cartridges mixed
with the blood of cows and pigs is an offence punishable
with ten years' hard labour ! We will soon break not only
the chains tightening round your legs but also the chains
of slavery riveted for one hundred years round the
feet of our dear Motherland ! This must have been the
meaning of the sign that they made.
This was in the morning. The Sepoys could not
possibly control themselves any longer. They returned
to their barracks, smarting inwardly under the insult and
shame of seeing their brethren being imprisoned by foreig-
ners for what was nothing more than an act of self-respect
in defence of their religion. When they strolled out in
the bazaars, the womenfolk of the town said to them
scornfully, “ Your brothers are in prison, and you are
lounging about here killing flies ! Fie upon your life ! ”³
How could they, already chafing under injury, hear wo-
men taunting them so in the open street, and still remain
doing nothing ? All over the lines that night there was
a number of secret meetings of the Sepoys. Were they
to wait now till the 31st of May ? Were they to sit like
dummies, while their compatriots were rotting in prisons?
Were they going to wait till others rose, when even the
women and children of the town were calling them traitors
in the streets? The 31st was yet very far off, and were they
to remain till then under the banner of the Feringhis ?
No, no. To-morrow is Sunday, and before the sun of
to-morrow sets, the chains of these patriots must be
smashed, the chains of the Motherland must be smashed,
and the banner of Independence must wave forth ! Im-
3. J. C. Wilson.
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THE ERUPTION
mediately messengers were sent to Delhi, “ We will be
there on the 11th or the 12th, keep everything ready.”⁴
Sunday dawned on the 10th of May. The English
had so little information about the secret preparations of
1857, that they had no idea about the meetings of the
Sepoys at Meerut, much less of their communications with
other Sepoys. They began their day with the usual peace-
ful pursuits. Horse-carriages, cold appliances, fragrant
flowers, airing, music and singing, all was going on in
full swing. The servants in a few Englishmen’s houses
suddenly left their services, but this did not cause more
than a moment’s surprise. But here in the Sepoys’ camp
the point was being debated, whether there should be a
general massacre or not. The 20th regiment said that,
when the English were in church, they should rise with
the shout of “ Har, Har, Mahadev ! ” and massacre all
the English, civil and military, men and women, on the
way to Delhi. This plan was agreed upon at last. At
that time, the church bells began to toll in the air. The
Englishmen with their wives were strolling towards the
church. Meanwhile in the town of Meerut, thousands of
people, even from the villages, were gathering together with
old and broken weapons ! The citizens of Meerut also
prepared themselves for the country’s cause. Still the
English had not any serious information about this ! At
five o’clock, the bells were tolling for prayer— only it
was the last prayer of the Englishmen before they were
despatched to give an account of their sins ! There, in
the Sepoy lines, however, the air resounded to the fierce
shout “ Mâro Feringhikô ! ”—“ Kill the foreigner ! ”
At first hundreds of horsemen galloped towards the
prisons to free their compatriots. The jailors, also, being
members of the revolutionary party, left the prison and
joined their brethren, when they heard the cry, “ Mâro
4. Red Pamphlet.
112

MEERUT
Feringhiko!" In a moment, the walls of the prisons were
razed to the ground! A patriotic blacksmith came forth
and smashed the chains of all the prisoners. What a
wonderful sight when the liberated prisoners embraced
heartily their brethren; their deliverers! With a loud
war-cry, the heroes rode their horses and marched towards
the church along with their brethren, leaving the hated
prison behind. In the meantime a company of infantry
already started the Revolution. Colonel Finnis of the
11th regiment had approached towards them on horseback
and begun to threaten them haughtily in the usual manner.
But the Sepoys rushed at him like death. A Sepoy of
the 20th regiment emptied his pistol at him, and both the
horse and the rider fell dead on the ground. Infantry
and artillery, Hindu and Muslim, were thirsting for the
blood of the Englishmen! This news spread to the
bazaars of Meerut and Meerut was ablaze; and every-
where the Englishman was killed, wherever he was found.
The people of the bazaars took swords, lances, sticks,
knives, anything in fact that came to hand and were run-
ning about in the lanes. All the buildings that were in
any way connected with English domination—bungalows,
offices, public buildings, hotels—all were burning in a
blaze. The very sky of Meerut wore a threatening aspect;
there rose clouds of smoke, terrible flames of fire, and
confused shouts from a thousand throats; and, above all
of them could be heard the terrible cry, "Mâro Feringhi-
ko!" As soon as the Revolution began, according to
the plan previously agreed upon, the telegraph wires to
Delhi were cut and the railway line was strictly guarded.
The night being dark, the English who survived were
utterly confused. Some hid themselves in stables; some
passed the night under trees; some on the third floor of
their houses; some in a ditch; some disguised themselves
as peasants, while others fell at the feet of their butlers.
When darkness was falling, the Sepoys were already
marching to Delhi, and it was the townsmen of Meerut
that were accomplishing the work of revenge for the
113
8

THE ERUPTION
wrongs and oppressions of a century. The hatred to-
wards the English was so violent that stone houses where
they resided, which could not be burnt, were pounded
down! The bungalow of Commissioner Greathed was
set fire to. He was still hiding inside. The rumour went
about that the people of Meerut had risen in arms and
surrounded his bungalow. Then the Commissioner fell
at the feet of his butler and implored him for his and his
family’s life. The butler gave the mob a ruse and led
them away, and the Commissioner fled away from the
crumbling bungalow. The mob dragged Mrs. Chambers
out of her bungalow and killed her with knives. Captain
Craigie clothed his wife and children in horse clothes to
disguise their colour, and hid them all night in an
old demolished temple. Dr. Christie and Veterinary
surgeon Phillips were battered to death. Captain Taylor,
Captain MacDonald, and Lieutenant Henderson were
hotly pursued and killed. Many women and children
died in the burning houses. As more and more English
blood was spilled, the terrible cry of the Revolutionaries
and their spirit became more and more violent. Passers-
by began to kick about English corpses! If in the middle
somebody showed pity in striking down the English,
thousands of men used to run there crying, “Mâro
Feringhiko!” They would point to the mark of the hand-
cuffs round the wrist of any lately manacled Sepoy pre-
sent in the company and would shout, “We must revenge
this!” Then swords flashed out without any thought
of mercy.
Meerut was about the last place where the Revolu-
tion should have started in the natural course of events.
There were only two Sepoy regiments of infantry and one
of cavalry, while there was a complete riflemen battalion
and a regiment of dragoons of Europeans there. Besides,
the whole of the artillery was in the hands of the Euro-
peans. Under these circumstances, the Sepoys had no
chance of success. Therefore was it that, immediately
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MEERUT
after the rising, the Sepoys went away towards Delhi,
leaving the work of revenge to the townsmen of Meerut.
It was very easy to have stopped the Sepoys on the way
and to have crushed them. But even English historians
are ashamed of the cowardice, mismanagement, and want
of foresight among the civil and military officers there.
Colonel Smyth of the Indian cavalry ran away to save his
life when he heard that his regiment had risen against
the English. When the chief officer of the artillery was
getting his guns ready and parading them, the Sepoys
were already on the way to Delhi. Even then, the English
army, instead of following them, remained inactive all
night, as if cowed down. To tell the truth, when Meerut
rose, the English were absolutely dumbfounded. They
could not form any idea of this unprecedented and sudden
rising till the next day ! On the other hand, the Sepoys
had a clear programme before them. It was this : to rise
immediately, to release the prisoners, and massacre the
English. Either the English were frightened at the sudden
rising, or the citizens of Meerut, plundering and burning
on all sides, made it impossible for the English to see where
the real rising was. When they would be busy taking
their bearings, the Sepoys were to have marched towards
Delhi. This march towards Delhi was a very cleverly
organised plan. There is not the least doubt that the
leaders of the Secret Society showed unexampled skill in
taking hold of Delhi at the first heat, thus making the
Rising openly national in a moment, and destroying the
prestige of the English. And the plan was as quickly
executed as it was cleverly arranged. Before the English
got news of the rising, the telegraph wires between Meerut
and Delhi were cut, the road was guarded, the patriotic
heroes were liberated from prison, the blood of English
despots was flowing on the ground, and two thousand
Sepoys, with their drawn swords wet with English blood,
raised the significant cry of, " To Delhi, to Delhi ! "
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CHAPTER III
DELHI
NANA Sahib Peshwa had been to Delhi towards
the end of April and all were anxiously awaiting
Sunday, the 31st of May, agreed upon as the
day of rising. If the whole of Hindusthan had
risen simultaneously on the 31st of May, history
would not have had to wait longer than 1857 to
record the destruction of the English empire and the
victorious Independence of India. But the premature
rising of Meerut benefited the English much more than
the Revolutionaries.¹ It is true that the spirited and

1. "It is certain, however, that if this sudden rising in all
   116

DELHI
patriotic women of the Meerut bazaars, who taunted the
soldiers and goaded them on to release their comrades.
have added one more honourable episode to our history.
But the Meerut Sepoys, by their rising, unconsciously put
their brethren in unforeseen confusion by warning the
enemy beforehand !² All the Sepoys at Delhi were Indian.
They too had become restless since the heroic martyrdom
of Mangal Panday. But the Emperor Bahadur Shah and
the Empress Zinat Mahal had tactfully restrained them.
Just at this moment, a message from the Meerut branch
of the Society was delivered to the Delhi branch, “ We
are coming to-morrow ; make the necessary preparations!”
Hardly had this unexpected and strange message been
delivered at Delhi when two thousand Sepoys were al-
ready on the march from Meerut, shouting, “ Delhi !
Delhi !” Night herself was then sleepless. How could
she sleep amidst the terrible noise produced by thousands
of horses stamping and neighing, the clanging of swords
and bayonets, and the fierce shouts and secret whisperings
of the marching revolutionaries ? When day dawned,
the Sepoys were astonished to find that the Meerut
artillery had not been following them. The Sepoys
forgot all the fatigues of the night and, without

parts of India had found the English unprepared but few of our
people would have escaped the swift destruction. It would then have
been the hard task of the British nation to reconquer India or else
to suffer our Eastern empire to pass into an ignominious tradition.”
Malleson, Vol. V. “The calamitous revolt at Meerut was, how-
ever, of signal service to us in one respect : inasmuch as it was a
premature outbreak which disarranged the preconcerted plan of
simultaneous mutiny of Sepoys all over the country, settled to take
place on Sunday, the 31st of May, 1857.’—White’s History, page 17.
2. “From this combined and simultaneous massacre on the
31st of May, 1857, we were, humanly speaking, saved by the frail
ones of the bazaar. The mine had been prepared and the train
had been laid, and it was not intended to light the slow match for
another three weeks. The spark which fell from the female lips
ignited it at once and the night of the 10th of May saw the com-
mencement of the tragedy never before witnessed since India passed
under British sway.”—J. C. Wilson's Official Narrative.
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THE ERUPTION
losing a minute, marched on with vigour. Delhi is about
thirty-two miles from Meerut. At about eight in the
morning, the first part of the army was in sight of the
sacred Jumna. Seeing the holy Jumna which seemed, by
its cool breezes, consciously to encourage the heroes bent
on the holy work of Freedom, thousands of soldiers salut-
ed her, shouting, "Jai Jumnaji!" Horses began to gallop
on the bridge of boats leading to Delhi. But did the river
Jumna understand their sacred mission? It was neces-
sary to let her know this and get her blessings before
marching on. Then, catch hold of that Englishman there
walking along the bridge, and let his blood be poured into
the dark Jumna! This blood will tell her the reason why
these Sepoys are galloping so hurriedly towards Delhi!
After crossing the bridge of boats, the Sepoys were
already at the walls of Delhi. When the rumour reached
the English officers, they collected the Sepoys on the
parade-ground and began to treat them to lectures on
loyalty. Colonel Ripley, with the 54th regiment started
to oppose the Meerut Sepoys. The Sepoys of the 54th
regiment told their Colonel when starting, "Show us the
Sepoys of Meerut and we will then see." The colonel
said "Shabash" (Well done!) and the regiment march-
ed towards the Revolutionaries. As they advanced, they
saw the Meerut cavalry galloping towards the fort. Just
behind the cavalry, there were also coming on, the in-
fantry dressed in red garments and thirsty for English
blood. As soon as the two armies saw each other, they
saluted; and the army of Delhi met that of Meerut on
friendly terms! When the Meerut army raised the
cries of "Let the English rule be destroyed!" and
"Long live the Emperor!", the Delhi army replied by
shouting, "Kill the Feringhis!" In a moment, Colonel
Ripley, who, in confusion, began to shout, "What is
this!", "What is this!", was riddled with bullets and
fell down dead. All the English officers of the army of
Delhi were similarly killed. After having thus sealed their
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DELHI
patriotism with English blood, the horsemen of the Meerut
cavalry descended and heartily embraced their comrades
from Delhi ! Just then the historic Kashmir gate of Delhi
opened, and this army of the heroes of liberty entered the
town of Delhi with the cries of " Din ! Din ! "
The second part of the Meerut army was also trying
to enter Delhi by the Calcutta gate. The gate was first
barred, but at the terrible knock of the Sepoys, it began
to open slowly, and soon the watchman at gate joined the
Sepoys with cries of " Din ! Din !! " The Sepoys who
entered by the Calcutta gate turned towards the bunga-
lows of the English at Daryaganj, and the buildings there
were all ablaze before long. Those Englishmen who
escaped the fire succumbed to the sword. The English
hospital was near by and it was found that it had given
shelter to the English bottles ! It is natural that the Se-
poys were enraged at the temerity of this hospital, after it
had seen the example of the bungalows of Daryaganj be-
ing razed to the ground for sheltering Englishmen ! So
they broke all bottles and after punishing the hospital,
they began the hunt for English blood in all the houses of
Delhi ! But what is an army without a banner and what
are mere cloth banners for an army like this ? So, where-
ver an English head was found, it was stuck at the ends
of lances, and with such terror-striking flags did the army
push forward at a rapid pace !
In the royal palace of Delhi, Sepoys and townsmen
were crowding together, shouting, " Victory to the Em-
peror." Commissioner Fraser was entering the gates of
the palace, wounded. A man called Nuzul Beg standing
near him pierced him in the cheek. At the sign, all the
Revolutionaries ran up the stairs, trampling Fraser down
all the way up. The Sepoys did not stop there, trampling
him, but went upstairs to the room in which Jennings
and his family were living. An attempt was made by
someone from inside to bolt the door, but a furious knock
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THE ERUPTION
of the Sepoys burst it open. Jennings, his daughter, and
a guest fell to the sword in an instant. Where is that
Captain Douglas, who was running already dying with
terror, all through the streets of Delhi ? Kill him, too !
And this Collector hiding in the corner ? Give him also
leave of life ! Well, now there is not a trace of Feringhi
authority left in the palace of Delhi ! Now, Sepoys, you
can surely rest a while ! Let the cavalry pitch their
quarters in the palace, and let the Sepoys who had march-
ed all night take a little rest in the palace in the Dewan-
i-Khas.
In this way the palace of Delhi came into the hands
of the army of the people, and the Emperor, the Empress,
and the leaders of the Sepoys held a conference as to
future plans. It was now evidently foolish to wait till the
31st of May as previously arranged ; so after a little hesi-
tation, the Emperor decided openly to take the side of the
Revolutionaries. As this was going on, a large part of
the artillery of Meerut, who had also risen, arrived at
Delhi. They entered the palace and gave a salute of
twenty-one guns in honour of the Emperor and of free-
dom. The little hesitation that remained in the mind of
the Emperor, even after the pleadings and arguments of
the Revolutionary Sepoys, now completely disappeared
after this thunder of cannon ; and the hundred Imperial
yearnings in his heart awoke with a flash. The leaders
of the Sepoys, with their swords dipped in English blood,
stood before the dignified and magnificent person of the
Emperor, and said, “ Khavind ! the English are defeated
at Meerut, Delhi is in your hands, and all the Sepoys
and people, from Peshawar up to Calcutta, are awaiting
your orders. The whole of Hindusthan had arisen to
break the chains of English slavery, and to acquire their
God-given independence. At this time, take up the flag
of Liberty in your own hands, so that all the warriors of
India may assemble to fight under it ! Hindusthan has
begun to fight to get back Swaraj and if you accept her
120