joined them.  His commands were carried out to the letter, amidst the most furious firing of the enemy, and the Russians gained the other side of the river without a bridge, drawing with them their cannon bound to trees.  The Baskirs were dispersed and fled, but whilst Michelson was pursuing them with his cavalry, he received news that his artillery was attacked by a fresh force, and he had to return to their aid.  Pugasceff himself, who again was the aggressor, stood with a regular army on the plains.  The battle lasted till late at night in the forest.  Finally the rebels retreated, and Michelson discovered that his opponents meant to take by surprise the Fort of Ufa.  He speedily cut his way through the forest, and when Pugasceff thought himself a day’s distance from his opponent, he found him face to face outside the Fort of Ufa.  Michelson proved again victorious, but by this time his soldiers had not a decent piece of clothing left, nor a wearable shoe, and each man had not more than two charges.  He therefore had to retreat to Ufa for fresh ammunition.  It appears that Michelson was just such a dreaded opponent to Pugasceff as the man not born of a woman was to Macbeth.  Immediately he disappeared from the horizon, he arose anew, and at each encounter with the pretender beat him right and left.  When Michelson drove him away from Ufa, Pugasceff totally defeated the Russian leaders approaching from other directions, London, Melgunoff, Duve, and Jacubovics were swept away before him, and he burned before their very eyes the town of Birszk.  With drawn sword he occupied the stronghold of Ossa, where he acquired guns, and, advancing with lightning rapidity, he stood before Kazan, which is one of the most noted towns of the province; it is the seat of an Archbishop, and there is kept the crown which the Russian Czars use at their coronation.  This crown was required by the mock Czar.  If he could get hold of it, and the Archbishop of Kazan would place it on his head, who could deny that he was the anointed Czar?  Generals Brand and Banner had but 1,500 musketry for the defense of Kazan, but the citizens of the town took also to the guns to defend themselves from within their ancient walls.  The day before the bombardment, General Potemkin, accompanied by General Larionoff, arrived at Kazan.  The Imperialists had as many generals and colonels in their camp as Pugasceff had corporals who had deserted their colors, yet the horde led by the rebel stormed the stronghold of the generals.  Pugasceff was the first to scale the wall, standard in hand, upon which the generals took refuge in the citadel.  Larionoff fled, and on his flight to Nijni Novgorod did not once look back.