Chapter Thirty Seven

Those ten thousand Children, chanting "Bande Mataram" and raising aloft their lances, rushed with furious speed upon the line of cannon. Beneath the rain of grape and ball they were rent asunder, hurled aloft, scattered into utter confusion; yet the Children's host turned not back. At that moment, by the order of Captain Thomas, a body of sepoys, fixing bayonets to their muskets, fell with great violence upon the right flank of the Children. Then, attacked from two sides at once, the Children were brought wholly to despair. In an instant hundreds upon hundreds of them began to perish. Thereupon Jibananda said, "Bhabananda, thy counsel was true; there is no more need to wreck the Vaishnavas; let us retire by slow degrees."

Bha. But how shall we retire now? Whosoever turns his back at this hour shall surely die.

Ji. The assault comes upon us from the front and from the right. On the left side is none. Come, let us turn little by little and slip away leftward, skirting round.

Bha. And whither wilt thou slip? Yonder lies the river — with the new rains the river hath grown most mighty. Wilt thou flee the Englishman's shot to drown this Children's host in the river's water?

Ji. There is a bridge upon the river — I now remember.

Bha. If these ten thousand troops attempt to cross by that bridge there will be such a press that, methinks, a single cannon may with the utmost ease destroy the whole army of the Children.

Ji. Do this one thing: keep with thee a small body of men. In this battle thou hast shown such courage and craft — there is no task beyond thee. Take that small band of Children and hold the front. I, sheltered behind thy force, will lead the rest of the Children across the bridge. They that remain with thee shall surely perish; they that go with me may live, if live they may.

Bha. So be it; I will do it.

Then Bhabananda, with two thousand Children, raising once more the cry of "Bande Mataram," fell with fierce ardour upon the English gunners. There a most terrible conflict began; but how long could that little band of Children endure before the cannon's mouth? Like sheaves of paddy beneath the reaper's hook, the gunners laid them low upon the ground.

In this interval Jibananda turned the face of the remaining Children's host a little aside, skirted the wood to leftward, and moved slowly off. Lieutenant Watson, an associate of Captain Thomas, beheld from afar a company of the Children stealing slowly away in flight; whereupon he took a body of regular sepoys and a body of pargana sepoys and followed after Jibananda.

This Captain Thomas perceived. Seeing that the chief body of the Children's company was in flight, he said to an associate named Captain Hay: "I, with two or four hundred sepoys, will slay these broken rebels here at hand; do thou take the cannon and the rest of the troops and pursue yonder host. By the left goeth Lieutenant Watson; do thou go by the right. And mark — we must first close the head of the bridge, for then, having girdled them about on three sides, we may slay them as fowl within the net. They are a swift native rabble, of all things most skilled in flight; therefore thou shalt not lightly take them. Bid thy horsemen go round by some hidden path and stand at the bridge-head; thus shall the work be perfected." Captain Hay did even so.

"Pride goeth before destruction." Captain Thomas, despising the Children utterly, kept only two hundred foot to engage with Bhabananda, and sent all the rest with Hay.

The crafty Bhabananda, when he saw that the Englishman's cannon were all gone, his soldiers all gone, and only a remnant left, easy to be slain, called his diminished band and said: "These few we must despatch, that I may go to Jibananda's succour. Once more cry ye, 'Jaya Jagadisha Hare!'" Then that small body of the Children, shouting "Jaya Jagadisha Hare," leapt like tigers upon Captain Thomas.

The fierceness of that onset that handful of sepoys and Telinga troops could not withstand, and they were destroyed. Then Bhabananda himself went forward and seized Captain Thomas by the hair. The Captain fought on to the last. Bhabananda said, "Captain Sahib, I will not slay thee; the Englishman is no enemy of ours. Wherefore art thou come to aid the Mussulman? Come — I grant thee thy life; for the present thou art our prisoner. Victory to the English; we are your friends." Then Captain Thomas, that he might kill Bhabananda, sought to lift up a musket with the bayonet fixed; but Bhabananda had him fast as the tiger holds his prey, and the Captain could not stir.

Then Bhabananda said to his followers, "Bind him." Two or three of the Children came and bound Captain Thomas.

Bhabananda said, "Set him upon a horse; come, let us take him with us to the aid of Jibananda Goswami."

Then that small company of the Children, having bound Captain Thomas upon a horse, chanting "Bande Mataram," made all speed in the direction of Lieutenant Watson.

Jibananda's Children's host was broken in spirit and ready for flight. Jibananda and Dhirananda reasoned with them and held them in check, yet could not hold them all; some fled away and took shelter in the mango grove. The remainder Jibananda and Dhirananda led to the head of the bridge. But there Hay and Watson encompassed them on either side. There was no deliverance more.