revolutionary leaders, and make an end of them. This plan need not astonish
us, for this method, in one form or another, had been made use of by the
autocracy time and again. Protopopov overreached himself, his scheme
miscarried, the soldiers about the capital went back on him, and the little
comedy that he had staged in which he was to play the leading part became
a tragedy and the shot which was intended for the revolution hit his royal
master and brought autocracy to the ground. In view of the fact that
Protopopov has since become insane, one wonders whether the man was
mentally well balanced at the time that he was in office. But the Tsar has
only himself to blame for his plight; he was warned against this nominee of
Rasputin, but he would not take advice.

Early in the week of March 5-12, 1917, the trouble began in the factory
districts. There were bread riots, car stoning, window smashing, and other
such acts, which are more or less common and no one paid much attention to
them. On Thursday, the disturbances spread to other parts of the city and
crowds began to gather on the Nevski, but the throng was orderly and the
police seemed to have little difficulty in keeping it on the move. Friday
the crowd was more bold: it marched up and down the streets, calling for
bread, singing revolutionary songs, and occasionally waving a red flag and
quickly snatching it back again. This, too, did not make much impression
for it is well known that in Russia strikes and disturbances have in view
political as well as economic betterment. Late Friday afternoon, while I
was walking on the Nevski, a company of mounted police and a large number
of Cossacks dashed by on the way to disperse a procession that was coming
towards me. When I came up to the Fontanka Bridge I noticed the crowd was
gathered about the Cossacks; it patted the horses and cheered their riders,
while the police were nowhere in sight. I listened to what was being said
and heard that the police tried to use their whips and swords on the people
and this angered the Cossacks so much that they attacked the police, killed