. The boy travellers in the Russian empire: adventures of two youths in a journey in European and Asiatic Russia, with accounts of a tour across ted were immedi-ately arrested and put to death, many of them with torture. Nobles, ladies BEHEADING THE INSURGENTS. 261 of rank, officers and soldiers, comprised the list. On the spot where westood to-day hundreds of the streltzi were beheaded, and altogether sev-eral thousands of people were killed. Peter himself took part in the ex-ecutions, if report is true. Once, at a banquet, he ordered twenty of tlieprisoners to be brought in, and a
. The boy travellers in the Russian empire: adventures of two youths in a journey in European and Asiatic Russia, with accounts of a tour across ted were immedi-ately arrested and put to death, many of them with torture. Nobles, ladies BEHEADING THE INSURGENTS. 261 of rank, officers and soldiers, comprised the list. On the spot where westood to-day hundreds of the streltzi were beheaded, and altogether sev-eral thousands of people were killed. Peter himself took part in the ex-ecutions, if report is true. Once, at a banquet, he ordered twenty of tlieprisoners to be brought in, and a block arranged for the fearful he called for a glass of wine. After drinking it, he beheaded thevictim, who had been placed on the block, and then he called for an-other victim and another glass of wine. It is said that he was just onehour in performing the twenty executions ; and after he had finished hewent in person to the great square in front of the Kremlin, where otherexecutions were going on. While he was witnessing one of these executions, one of the prison-ers who was about to lose his head came forward as coolly as though he. CATHERINE I. were entering a dining-hall. Make way for us, he said, as he kicked thefallen heads from his path— make way here, make way. Just as the man lay down upon the block and the executioner raisedliis axe, Peter ordered the prisoner to be liberated. He pardoned him onthe spot, remarking that there w^as good stuff in a man Mho could walk so 262 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE. gallantly to liis own execution. Peters prediction was correct; and whodo you suppose the man was I His name was Orloff. He was a faithful adherent of Peter for therest of his life, and rose to the command of his armies. He was thefounder of the Orloff family, whicli has ever since been prominent inHussian matters, and continues so down to the present day. Variousmembers of the family have been distinguished in land and naval warfare,and in d
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