In the meanwhile the empress of Russia, alarmed at the progress of the confederates of Bar, and having been apprised that there was a misunderstanding between Felicyan Volodkovicz, the metropolitan bishop of the united Greek church, and Melchisedeck Javorski, the superior of a schismatic monastery of the Greco-Russian faith, resolved to take advantage of this circumstance in order to bring about a definitive and permanent disunion, and thus facilitate the rebellion of the common people against the nobles. She accordingly despatched her emissaries into all the Greco-Russian monasteries, situated for the most part in isolated places in the depths of the forests of Tasmina, as well as on the confines of the steppes of the Ukraine. These delegates, by their insidious counsels, as we have already mentioned, were the original authors and abettors of the rebellion of Zelezniaque. But it appeared to her of the utmost importance to gain possession of the town of Houmagne, in which great numbers of the nobles had taken refuge, in order that she might have a point of support for giving an eflfectual impulse to the revolt; and this it seemed impossible to do without the concurrence and co-operation of Gonta. Zelezniaque, at the head of the Haidamaques, made himself master of Medvedovka, Zabatine, Smila, Zvinigrod, and captured the castle of Lysianka by stratagem, as well as several other places. He then pursued his march at the head of his bands, distributing arms to the peasants as he passed along, and, preceded by numerous schismatic priests, arrived near to Houmagne. Gonta, the chief of the Cossacks, ha%dng incurred suspicion, Mladanovicz apprised him of the fact, and accused him of tampering with the fidelity of the troops under his command. Gonta exculpated himself by protestations of gratitude, and renewed his oath of fidelity at the front of his Cossacks, drawn up in array. The confidence formerly reposed in him by Mladanovicz was, by this public declaration, renewed; and he sent him with one of his friends to convey provisions into the town, at that time crowded with fugitives, and to give battle to the bands of Zelezniaque. During this time General Nisse, then holding the chief command in this country, withdrew his forces from the town, in conformity with secret orders he had received. He also clandestinely induced a Prussian major, who happened to be in the neighbourhood for the purpose of making a purchase of horses, to follow his example; so that there remained in the town but a very small number of soldiers, for the most part invalided, who could not be openly withdrawn at so short a notice, without causing alarm to the inhabitants. These soldiers were sacrificed. A political problem had to be solved, and the blood of a few infirm men was not to be spared under the working of the Machiavellian councils of the cabinet of St. Petersburgh. After the retreat of the confederates, and the with- dravval of the regular troops, and the departure of Gonta, a sudden horror, a dark presentiment of coming ruin, seized every heart.
In this phase of events, the arrival of Nekrassa was expected. Nekrassa was a young chief of Polish Cossacks, whose known valour, high military talents, and implacable hatred to all that was Russian, gained him the utmost confidence and esteem. He was to effect a junction with the troops of Gonta, after having gained some recent advantages over the Haidamaques as well as the Russians. No breath of suspicion had tarnished the high principles of patriotism and honour by which he was actuated, and it was asserted he was in possession of such knowledge as would unmask the dark perfidy of the Moscovite cabinet. Gonta was near Sakolovka, when Nekrassa joined him, at the head of a small deputation of Polish nobles, in order to concert measures for saving the town of Houniagne, which could only be done by immediately attacking the Haidamaques under Zelezniaque. To secure the co-operation of Gonta, a large sum was offered him by this deputation, in the name of the Polish nobles, an equal sum from the Palatinate Pototski, together with the property of two villages as an heir-loom to his family, to be selected at Gonta's own choice, from his vast domains. To these gifts were also to be added a high commission in his troops, a,nd Mladanovicz was to arrive with the legal documents of the cession of the two villages, the names of which were to be inserted in the title deeds, accord- iiig to the direction of. Gonta. Having listened to and discussed the proposals of Nekrassa, Gonta accepted them, and a final arrangement seemed thus to have been effected.