Into his part of the country he would desert the cause of the Czar, and

would come over to his side, with all the Cossacks under his command.

The cause of Mazeppa's quarrel with the Czar was this: He was one day

paying a visit to his majesty, and, while seated at table, Peter began

to complain of the lawless and ungovernable character of the Cossacks,

and to propose that Mazeppa should introduce certain reforms in the

organization and discipline of the tribe, with a view of bringing them

under more effectual control. It is probable that the reforms which he

proposed were somewhat analogous to those which he had introduced so

successfully into the armies under his own more immediate command.

Mazeppa opposed this suggestion. He said that the attempt to adopt

such measures with the Cossacks would never succeed; that the men were

so wild and savage by nature, and so fixed in the rude and irregular

habits of warfare to which they and their fathers had been so long

accustomed, that they could never be made to submit to such

restrictions as a regular military discipline would impose.

Peter, who never could endure the least opposition or contradiction to

any of his ideas or plans, became quite angry with Mazeppa on account

of the objections which he made to his proposals, and, as was usual

with him in such cases, he broke out in the most rude and violent

language imaginable. He called Mazeppa an enemy and a traitor, and

threatened to have him impaled alive. It is true he did not really

mean what he said, his words being only empty threats dictated by the

brutal violence of his anger. Still, Mazeppa was very much offended.

He went away from the Czar's tent muttering his displeasure, and

resolving secretly on revenge.

Soon after this Mazeppa opened the communication above referred to with

the King of Sweden, and at last an agreement was made between them by

which it was stipulated that the king was to advance into the southern

part of the country, where, of course, the Cossacks would be sent out

to meet him, and then Mazeppa was to revolt from the Czar, and go over

with all his forces to the King of Sweden's side. By this means the

Czar's army was sure, they thought, to be defeated; and in this case

the King of Sweden was to remain in possession of the Russian

territory, while the Cossacks were to retire to their own fortresses,

and live thenceforth as an independent tribe.

The plot seemed to be very well laid; but, unfortunately for the

contrivers of it, it was not destined to succeed. In the first place,

Mazeppa's scheme of revolting with the Cossacks to the enemy was

discovered by the Czar, and almost entirely defeated, before the time

arrived for putting it into execution. Peter had his secret agents

every where, and through them he received such information in respect

to Mazeppa's movements as led him to suspect his designs. He said

nothing, however, but manoeuvred his forces so as to have a large body

of troops that he could rely upon always near Mazeppa and the Cossacks,

and between them and the army of the Swedes. He ordered the officers

of these troops to watch Mazeppa's movements closely, and to be ready

to act against him at a moment's notice, should occasion require.

Mazeppa was somewhat disconcerted in his plans by this state of things;

but he could not make any objection, for the troops thus stationed near

him seemed to be placed there for the purpose of co-operating with him

against the enemy.