Ufa.  But Bibikoff was not a man to remain inactive, and lost no time in attacking him.  Again and again he was defeated, the siege of the two strongholds was raised, and on more than one occasion his army was dispersed, and he was left at the head of only a few hundred followers.  But, if the Cossack hordes could be easily dissipated, they could rally with equal ease; and on several occasions, when the rebellion seemed to be completely crushed, it suddenly burst out afresh, and Pugatscheff, who was supposed to be hiding like a hunted criminal, appeared at the head of a larger force than ever.  Thus at one time scarcely 100 men followed him to a retreat in the Ural Mountains:  in a few days he was at the head of 20,000 men, and took Casan by storm, with the exception of the citadel, which resisted his most determined attacks.  Here he perpetrated the greatest atrocities, until the imperial troops arrived and wrested the town from his grasp, seizing his artillery and his ammunition.  For a time his position appeared desperate, and he fled across the Volga, but only to re-appear again at the head of an enormous force, and, as a conqueror, fortress after fortress yielding at his summons.  At length a Russian army under Colonel Michelsohn overtook him and gave him battle.  Pugatscheff held a strong position, had 24 pieces of artillery and 20,000 men, but his raw levies were no match for the regular troops.  His position was turned, and a panic seized his followers, who deserted their guns and their baggage, and fled precipitately, leaving 2000 dead and 6000 prisoners behind them.  Pugatscheff himself made for the Volga, closely pursued by the Russian cavalry, who cut down the half of his escort before they could embark.  With sixty men he succeeded in escaping into the desert, and at last it was evident that his game was played out.  The only three outlets were soon closed by separate detachments of the imperial troops, and the fugitives were thus confined in an arid waste without shelter, without provisions, and without water.  The situation was so hopeless that each man only thought of saving himself, and Pugatscheff’s companions were not slow to perceive that their sole chance of life lay in sacrificing their leader.  Accordingly, they fell upon him while he was ravenously devouring a piece of horseflesh—­the only food which he could command—­and, having bound him, handed him over to his enemies.  As Moscow had shown some sympathy for him, he was carried in chains to that city, and was there condemned to death.  Several of his principal adherents likewise suffered punishment at the same time.

On the 23d of January 1775, Pugatscheff and his followers were led to the place of execution, where a large scaffold had been erected.  Some had their tongues cut out, the noses of others were cut off, eighteen were knouted and sent to Siberia, and the chief was decapitated—­his body being afterwards cut in pieces and exposed in different parts of the town.  He met his fate with the utmost fortitude.