But Guska did not escape his fate.

The Cossacks had but time to look round when they beheld Stepan Guska elevated on four spears.

All the poor fellow succeeded in saying was, "May all our enemies perish, and may the Russian land rejoice forever!" and then he yielded up his soul.
The Cossacks glanced around, and there was Metelitza on one side, entertaining the Lyakhs by dealing blows on the head to one and another; on the other side, the hetman Nevelitchkiy was attacking with his men; and Zakrutibuga was repulsing and slaying the enemy by the waggons.
The third Pisarenko had repulsed a whole squadron from the more distant waggons; and they were still fighting and killing amongst the other waggons, and even upon them.
"How now, gentles ?" cried Taras, stepping forward before them all: "is there still powder in your flasks?
Is the Cossack force still strong?
do the Cossacks yield ?" "There is still powder in the flasks, father; the Cossack force is still strong: the Cossacks yield not!" But Bovdug had already fallen from the waggons; a bullet had struck him just below the heart.

The old man collected all his strength, and said, "I sorrow not to part from the world.

God grant every man such an end! May the Russian land be forever glorious!" And Bovdug's spirit flew above, to tell the old men who had gone on long before that men still knew how to fight on Russian soil, and better still, that they knew how to die for it and the holy faith.
Balaban, hetman of a kuren, soon after fell to the ground also from a waggon.