On the news of Pugasceff’s approach, Reinsburg, the Governor of Orenburg, sent, under the command of Colonel Bilof, a portion of his troops to attack the rebel.  Bilof started on the chase, but he shared the fate of many lion-hunters.  The pursued animal ate him up, and of his entire force not one man returned to Orenburg.  Instead of this, Pugasceff’s forces appeared before its gates.

Reinsburg did not wish to await the bombardment, and he sent his most trusted regiment, under the command of Major Naumoff, to attack the rebels.  The mock-Czar allowed it to approach the slopes of the mountains outside Orenburg, and there, with masked guns, he opened such a disastrous fire upon them that the Russians were compelled to retire to their fort utterly demoralized.  Pugasceff then descended into the plains and pitched his camp before the town.  The two opponents both began with the idea of tiring each other out by waiting.  Pugasceff was encamped on the snow-fields.  The plains of Russia are no longer green in October, and instead of tents he had huts made of branches of oak.  The one force was attacked by frost—­the other by starvation.  Finally, starvation proved the more powerful.  Naumoff sallied from the fort, and turned his attention towards occupying those heights whence his forces had been fired upon a short time previously.  He succeeded in making an onslaught with his infantry upon the rebel lines, but Pugasceff, all of a sudden, changed his plan of battle, and attacked with his Cossacks the cavalry of his opponent, who took to flight.  The victory fell from the grasp of Naumoff, and he was compelled to fly with his cannon, breaking his way, sword in hand, through the lines of the Cossacks.  Then Pugasceff attacked in his turn.  He had forty-eight guns, with which he commenced a fierce bombardment of the walls, which continued until November 9th, when he ordered his troops to storm the town.  The onslaught did not succeed, for the Russians bravely defended themselves.  Pugasceff, therefore, had to make up his mind to starve out his opponents.  The broad plains and valleys were white with snow, the forests sparkled with icicles, as though made of silver, and during the long nights the cold reflection of the moon alone brightened the desolate wastes where the audacious dream of a daring man kept awake the spirits of his men.  The dream was this:  That he should be the husband of the Czarina of All the Russias.

Katharine II. was passionately fond of playing tarok, and she particularly liked that variety of the game which was later on named, after a celebrated Russian general, “Paskevics,” and required four players.  In addition to the Czarina, Princess Daskoff, Prince Orloff, and General Karr sat at her table.  The latter was a distinguished leader of troops—­in petto—­and as a tarok-player without equal.  He rose from the table semper victor!  No one ever saw him pay, and for this reason he was a particular favorite with the Czarina.