Yuri himself with his allies came in sight the next morning. Twelve days and nights did the Suzdal prince struggle with the city but the defense was so stubborn that he seized nothing, mastered no part of Chernigoff. On the thirteenth morning came news that Vyatcheslav and Izyaslav were hurriedly approaching with all the Kief forces. The Polovtsi, active at looting and burning, fled when they saw that real fighting and danger were near them, and Yuri was forced to withdraw. He went first to Novgorod, then to Rylsk, and was about to start for Suzdal when the son of Oleg reproached him as follows: “Thou art leaving me when thou hast ruined my property. All the grain in this land has been trampled by Polovtsi. Thy Polovtsi have fled, and thou thyself art deserting. After thee will come Izyaslav, and he will destroy what remains here because I broke faith with him, and gave thee assistance.” Yuri engaged to leave troops, but his words were merely vain promises. He left only fifty men of his guard, and Vassilko, his son, to protect all that country. At Novgorod appeared Izyaslav, with his allies. In three days he was master of all save the innermost fortress. Sviatoslav, son of Oleg, asked then for peace, which the Kief prince wished at first to refuse, but he granted it finally and returned to Chernigoff. There he received news from his son, Mystislav, that he had overtaken and crushed Yuri’s Polovtsi, freed a great number of captives and recovered much booty. Yuri made still another effort, but a weaker one and his defeat was decisive. Thus ended Izyaslav’s struggle with his uncle. Yuri’s main ally, Sviatoslav, was reduced to take gladly the place that was given him. There remained still another of Yuri’s assistants, the last one, his son-in-law, Vladimirko of Galitch, and to him Izyaslav now turned his attention. CHAPTER IV ANDREI BOGOLYUBOFF In 1151 the Kief prince and King Geiza of Hungary attacked Vladimirko near Peremysl, where, though hemmed in by the armies, he managed to escape to the town with a single attendant. He informed the king straightway, that, mortally wounded and dying, he begged him for peace and forgiveness. He sent also, through agents, great presents and bribes to Geiza’s attendants and to the archbishop. “Let me not die without peace or pardon,” implored he. “Great is my sin, but forgive me.” Notwithstanding all protests from Izyaslav, peace and pardon were granted, Vladimirko promising to return the towns seized from Izyaslav, and to be his ally, both in defeat and in triumph. Vladimirko was lying in bed, as if mortally wounded, and seemed to dread his last hour, then approaching.