e into my car
and gave a minute description of the situation. The enemy forces
numbered about 8,000, and those of the Russian Government about 3,000.
For about one hundred versts the Russian forces, in small detachments,
were allowing themselves to be pinned to the railway.

It was very interesting to hear a clear statement as to the cause of
the revolt and to find that the chief point of the grievances set forth
in the revolters' own proclamations. In great part these opponents of
the Government consist of rich peasants, who already possessing land
which in many cases was equal in extent to the County of Rutland, had in
1917, under the order of Lenin and Trotsky, taken forcible possession of
the furniture, horses, farmhouses, carts, carriages, land, etc., of the
big landholders, who with their families had been massacred by these
same rich peasants.

The next important element among the revolters were the escaped
prisoners of the old regime, who, being released by the Bolsheviks, had
taken to the forest to avoid recapture--probably the wildest and most
savage set of men in the world. They were illicitly fed and protected by
the aforementioned wealthy peasants with a view, firstly, to buy off
their hostility to themselves, and, secondly, to secure their help to
resist the civil officers of the new Government who were appointed to
inquire into the methods by which these wealthy peasants became
possessed of their dead neighbours' lands and properties; thirdly, to
enable these wealthy peasants to resist the payment of taxes, not only
those that were in arrears, but any that would become due in the future.
This was the point dealt with in their proclamation, wherein it was
stated that inasmuch as it was the people who lived in the towns that
forced the revolution, therefore it was unjust to ask the peasants to
pay for the damage done by those in the towns; further, that it was the
people in the towns who kept on fighting one another, and until they
had finished their quarrelling the peasants would not pay any taxes or
do anything to help the Government; fourthly, this unholy partnership
enabled the wealthy peasants to resist the mobilisation ordered by the
Koltchak Government for the same reasons.

As I have already pointed out, every minor Government and general,
including General Denikin, made haste to show their submission to Omsk
when Admiral Koltchak assumed authority, the only exception being
Colonel Semianoff. He,