Anandamath

Chapter X

Those ten thousand Santans rushed forward with their lances raised singing “Hail Mother” all the time and thus fell on the guns placed in a line. They were cut to pieces, some of their bodies ripped open, tumbled about, and all of them were disorganised, but in spite of it the Santan troops would not turn back. Just at that moment, ordered by Captain Thomas, a party of Sepahis with fixed bayonet attacked the right flank of the Santans with great force. Thus attacked from two sides the Santans became down-hearted. Every minute hundreds of them were being killed. Then Jivananda said, “Bhavananda, you are right; this destruction of Vaishnabas need not continue, let us fall back slowly.”

Bhavananda: How can you turn back now? Whoever will try now to turn back will surely die.

Jivananda: The attack is coming from the front as well as from the right. There is no one on the left, come, let us slowly wheel to the left and slip away.

Bhavananda: Where will you slip away? There is the river on that side — rains have helped to swell it immensely. You propose to run away from the guns of the British and help to drown the Santan army in the river?

Jivananda: I seem to remember, that, there is a bridge on the river.

Bhavananda: To attempt to take across ten thousand Santan soldiers over that bridge will result in such a packed crowd that, perhaps one single gun will be enough to destroy the entire army.

Jivananda: Do one thing, keep a handful of soldiers and hold the front — the courage and skill in tactics that you have shown in this battle, shows that there is nothing which you cannot do. You hold the front with that small band of Santans. Behind the screen of your fighters let me try and take the rest of the Santan army across the bridge. Those who are left with you will meet sure death, while those who are with me may escape destruction.

Bhavananda: Alright, I am doing what you suggest.

Then Bhavananda taking two thousand Santans with him and raising the shout of “Hail Mother” again attacked the gunners of the British with great energy. A great battle raged there. But how long can a small band of Santans last in the face of blazing guns? The gunners began cutting them down like paddy reaped with scythes.

Availing himself of this opportunity Jivananda turning the front of his remaining Santans a little and wheeling behind the forest to the left began slowly to retreat.

Captain Thomas’s fellow officer Lieutenant Watson noticed from a distance, that, a part of the Santan force was fleeing by degrees; he followed Jivananda with a band of Fouzdari Sepahis and another band of Purgana Sepahis.

All these movements were observed by Captain Thomas. Seeing that the main Santan force was running away he told a fellow officer Captain Hay, “With three or four hundreds of soldiers I am cutting down these broken up rebels, you take the rest of the force and the guns and rush after them. Lieutenant Watson is following them from the left, you go after them from the right, and look here, you will have to be there first to close up the outlet in the bridge, then we shall be able to kill them out like birds caught in a net. They are swift-footed native soldiers, they are great adepts in running away only; so you will not be able to catch them up easily. You tell the cavalry to proceed under cover making long circuit for the bridge mouth and take up position there, then our object will be gained.” Captain Hay carried this out.

Excessive pride was the cause of the destruction of Lanka (the golden city of Ravan in the Ramayan). Captain Thomas having great contempt for the Santans, kept back only two hundred men for his fight with Bhavananda sending the rest away with Captain Hay. When shrewd Bhavananda saw that all the guns of the British had left, the major part of their force was gone too, the handful of men left behind was easy to destroy, he called the Santans about him who had escaped carnage and said, “I have to go to Jivananda’s help after killing these few men. Once again cry “Glory to Jagadisha Hare!” Then with the battle cry of “Glory to Jagadisha Hare” that small band of Santans leapt on Captain Thomas and his men like tigers. The handful of Tailangi Sepahis could not stand against that furious onslaught, they were wiped out. Bhavananda then went himself and caught hold of Captain Thomas by the hair. Captain Thomas was fighting on up to the last. Bhavananda said, “Captain Sahib, I shall not kill you, the English are not our enemies. Why have you come to the aid of the Mussulmans? Come, I give you back your forfeited life. For the present you are our prisoner. Victory to the British! We are your friends.”

Captain Thomas then tried to raise his gun with bayonet fixed with the intention of killing Bhavananda, but Bhavananda had caught him in the grip of a tiger, so Captain Thomas could not move. Then Bhavananda ordered his men, “Tie him up.” Two to three of the Santans came and bound Captain Thomas. Bhavananda said, “Put him on a horse, and come, let us go to Jivananda Goswami’s help.”

Then that small body of Santans taking Captain Thomas bound hand and foot on a horse with them and singing “Hail Mother” dashed forward with Watson as their objective.

The demoralised Santan force under Jivananda was about to run away. Jivananda and Dhirananda somehow persuaded and kept them restrained, but could not induce all to stay, some of them fled and took cover in the mango grove. Jivananda and Dhirananda led the rest of them to the mouth of the bridge. There Hay and Watson surrounded them from two sides. Their situation became pretty hopeless.