Mangal Pandey: Drug-crazed Fanatic or Canny Revolutionary? A Historiographical Disjuncture and its Discontents.

Abstract

During my stay at Barrackpore it was related that some time previously one of these creatures [a rhinocerous from the menagerie] – the male – had killed an unfortunate sipahee (native soldier), who, with more animal courage than human reason or prudence, had upon seeing the brutes having by accident broken loose, madly ventured to oppose him. Three sipahees walking through the park, suddenly observed the animal, as I have said, at large, roaming the ground. – “Arree bhyee!” (Oh brother!) exclaimed one of the elder and more prudent. – “See! here's the Lord Sahib's animal coming. Run!” “Run!” (exclaimed the poor young fellow, who paid so sadly for his temerity, and regarding only the imaginary discredit of running away). “Never! If he strikes me, I'll strike him!” – he stood still; and in a few minutes his mangled corpse, as you may suppose, was being dragged about the park by the furious rhinocerous.