he diversion, that the Grand Duke would be obliged to
oppose it with all his available forces. The traitor planned also to
produce so frightful a catastrophe that terror must inevitably overwhelm
the hearts of the besieged.

All day the garrison and population of Irkutsk were on the alert. The
measures to repel an attack on the points hitherto unassailed had
been taken. The Grand Duke and General Voranzoff visited the posts,
strengthened by their orders. Wassili Fedor's corps occupied the North
of the town, but with orders to throw themselves where the danger was
greatest. The right bank of the Angara had been protected with the few
guns possessed by the defenders. With these measures, taken in time,
thanks to the advice so opportunely given by Ivan Ogareff, there was
good reason to hope that the expected attack would be repulsed. In
that case the Tartars, momentarily discouraged, would no doubt not
make another attempt against the town for several days. Now the troops
expected by the Grand Duke might arrive at any hour. The safety or the
loss of Irkutsk hung only by a thread.

On this day, the sun which had risen at twenty minutes to six, set at
forty minutes past five, having traced its diurnal arc for eleven
hours above the horizon. The twilight would struggle with the night
for another two hours. Then it would be intensely dark, for the sky was
cloudy, and there would be no moon. This gloom would favor the plans of
Ivan Ogareff.

For a few days already a sharp frost had given warning of the
approaching rigor of the Siberian winter, and this evening it was
especially severe. The Russians posted by the bank of the Angara,
obliged to conceal their position, lighted no fires. They suffered
cruelly from the low temperature. A few feet below them, the ice in
large masses drifted down the current. All day these masses had been
seen passing rapidly between the two banks.

This had been considered by the Grand Duke and his officers as
fortunate. Should the channel of the Angara continue to be thus
obstructed, the passage must be impracticable. The Tartars could use
neither rafts nor boats. As to their crossing the river on the ice, that
was not possible. The newly-frozen plain could not bear the weight of an
assaulting column.

This circumstance, as it appeared favorable to the defenders of Irkutsk,
Ogareff might have regretted. He did not do so, however. The traitor
knew well that the Tartars would not try to pass the