Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/100



Before it was night every one in the Society of the Children knew that Satyananda and Mahendra were prisoners in the gaol of the town. Then the Children began to come in by tens and hundreds and soon filled the woods surrounding the temple. Every one of them was armed ; every one had fire in the eye, pride in his mien and resolution at heart At first they were a hundred men, then a thousand, then two thousand and so the numbers went on increasing. Then, sword in hand, Jnanananda stood at the gate of the temple and spoke aloud : — " We have often thought to break up this bird's nest of Moslem rule, to pull down the city of the renegades and throw it into the river — to burn this pig-sty to ashes and make mother earth free from evil again. Friends, that day has come. Our great master, who is great above everybody else and is limitless in his knowledge, who is ever pure, and is a patriot and a well-wisher of his people, who has pledged his life for the revival of the True Religion, whom we look upon as an incarnation of Vishnu — this man has been imprisoned in the gaol of the Mussulmans. Friends, are our swords not sharp enough?" he stretched his arm and said " do not our arms carrv strength enough " — and stroked his breast and said " have we not courage in our hearts ? Friends, by the name of the Lord — the slayer of Hiranyakasipu, Dantabakra, Sisupala and