Page:Anandamath, The Abbey of Bliss - Chatterjee.djvu/145



The Company had many silk-factories at the time and one of them was situated at Sibagram. Mr. Donniworth was the factor or manager of the factory. The Company made excellent arrangements for the safety of these factories in those days, and it was for this that Mr. Donniworth somehow contrived to keep his head on his shoulders. He had to send away his wife and children to Calcutta, however, and was himself sorely pressed by the Children. Captain Thomas came to this spot with a few companies of his soldiers about this time. A rabble of low-class rustics, encouraged by the en- thusiasm of the Children, had interested themselves in the work of despoiling people of their wealth and they once fell upon Captain Thomas's commissariat. Cartloads of ghee, flour, poultry, rice and other food-stuffs passing by the way had tickled their appetite beyond control and they therefore attacked the carts ; but a few blows from the guns in the hands ot the sepoys were enough to disperse them. Captain Thomas instantly sent a report to Calcutta that with 157 sepoys he bad that day worsted a company of 14,700 rebels of whom 2,153 were killed, 1,233 wounded and 7 taken prisoners,— the last item alone being irreproachably veracious. The Captain himself thought that he had fought and won a second Blenheim or Rossbach ; he twirled up his moustaches and walked about, majestically intrepid. He advised Donni-