afterward cut off and set up on poles at the
four corners of a square inclosure made for the purpose, the impaled
body lying in the middle.

The page who had been bribed by Kikin was not put to death. His life
was spared, perhaps on account of his youth, but he was very severely
punished by scourging.

During all this time Alexis continued to be confined to his prison, and
he was subjected to repeated examinations and cross-examinations, in
order to draw from him not only the whole truth in respect to his own
motives and designs in his flight, but also such information as might
lead to the full development of the plans and designs of the party in
Russia who were opposed to the government of Peter, and who had
designed to make use of the name and position of Alexis for the
accomplishment of their schemes. Alexis had promised to make a full
and complete confession, but he did not do so. In the answers to the
series of questions which were first addressed to him, he confessed as
much as he thought was already known, and endeavored to conceal the
rest. In a short time, however, many things that he had at first
denied or evaded were fully proved by other testimony taken in the
trial of the prisoners who have already been referred to. Then Alexis
was charged with the omissions or evasions in his confession which had
thus been made to appear, and asked for an explanation, and thereupon
he made new confessions, acknowledging the newly-discovered facts, and
excusing himself for not having mentioned them before by saying that he
had forgotten them, or else that he was afraid to divulge them for fear
of injuring the persons that would be implicated by them. Thus he went
on contradicting and involving himself more and more by every fresh
confession, until, at last, his father, and all the judges who had
convened to investigate the case, ceased to place any confidence in any
thing that he said, and lost almost all sympathy for him in his
distress.

The examination was protracted through many months. The result of it,
on the whole, was, that it was fully proved that there was a powerful
party in Russia opposed to the reforms and improvements of the Czar,
and particularly to the introduction of the European civilization into
the country, who were desirous of effecting a revolution, and who
wished to avail themselves of the quarrel between Alexis and his father
to promote their schemes. Alexis was too much stupefied by his