hoarse.
To the questions addressed to him, he replies: 'The masses are at
present so electrified that you may lead them wherever you like. We
shall go on Sunday to the Palace, and present a petition. If we are
allowed to pass without hindrance, we shall march to the Palace Square,
and summon the Tsar from Tsarskoe Selo. We shall wait for him till the
evening. When he arrives, I shall go to him with a deputation, and
in presenting to him the petition, I shall say: 'Your Majesty! Things
cannot go on like this; it is time to give the people liberty.' (Tak
nelzya! Para dat' narodu svobodu.) If he consents, we shall insist that
he take an oath before the people. Only then we shall come away, and
when we begin to work, it will only be for eight hours a day. If, on the
other hand, we are prevented from entering the city, we shall request
and beg, and if they do not let us pass, we shall force our way. In the
Palace Square we shall find troops, and we shall entreat them to come
over to our side. If they beat us, we shall strike back. There will be
sacrifices, but part of the troops will come over to us, and then,
being ourselves strong in numbers, we shall make a revolution. We shall
construct barricades, pillage the armourers' shops, break open
the prisons, and seize the telephones and telegraphs. The
Socialist-Revolutionaries have promised us bombs, and the Democrats
money: and we shall be victorious!*

* This confirms the information which comes to me from other
quarters that Gapon was already in friendly relations with
other revolutionary groups.

"Such, in a few words, were the ideas which Gapon expounded. The
impression he made on us was that he did not clearly realise where
he was going. Acting with sincerity, he was ready to die, but he was
convinced that the troops would not fire, and that the deputation would
be received by the Emperor. He did not distinguish between different
methods. Though not at all a partisan of violent means, he had become
infuriated against autocracy and the Tsar, as was shown by his language
when he said: 'If that blockhead of a Tsar comes out' (Yesli etot durak
Tsar vuidet) . . . Burning with the desire to attain his object, he
looked on revolution like a child, as if it could be accomplished in a
day with empty hands!"

Knowing that no previous preparations had been made for a revolution
such as Gapon talked of, the Social Democratic agents tried to dissuade
him from ca