what their ambassadors were doing, and were told that they would arrive with Igor's guards. Before long the Drevlians began to be tipsy. Olga rose from the table; this was a signal for a massacre of the revellers. Five thousand of them were sacrificed round the tomb of Igor. Olga returned to Kiew and marched with an army against the Drevlins. Her son Sviatoslav began the fight. The Drevlians fled and shut themselves up within their walls. The inhabitants of Korosthene defended their town desperately all the summer. Olga had recourse to a new stratagem. She sent them a conciliatory message: "Why prolong the struggle? All your other towns are in my hands; already your compatriots are peacefully cultivating their fields, while you are determined to die of hunger. You have no need to fear my vengeance; it was satisfied at Kiew, on the grave of my husband." They offered her a tribute of honey and furs. She affected the greatest generosity, and said she would be content if they would bring her three sparrows and a pigeon for each house. The besieged eagerly agreed to her demand and hoped to see the hostile army withdraw, but as soon as it began to get dark Olga's men fastened tinder to the birds, set it on fire, and let them loose. They flew back to their nests and set the whole place on fire. The inhabitants who sought safety in flight, fell into the hands of the Russians. The grand-princess put the most influential of them to death, condemned some to slavery, and imposed on the others a crushing tax. She travelled with her son all over the conquered country, levying tribute for the Treasury of Kiew, but the inhabitants of Korosthene were ordered to send the third of the taxes to Olga herself, to her own estate of Vouichegorod, which it is supposed was settled on her by Oleg, as the wife of the grand-prince. The following year she travelled through Northern Russia, and everywhere made useful and benevolent regulations. She was universally remembered with affection; even the Drevlians found their country improved by her wise administration. Her sleigh was kept as a precious relic at Kiew, a hundred and fifty years after death. After these exertions she went and lived quietly with her son at Kiew. She saw the superiority of the Christian religion, and she listened to its doctrines and conversed with its priests, until she became convinced that this was the true faith, and resolved to accept it as hers. She went to Constantinople, the capital of the Greek Empire and religion. The Patriarch instructed and baptized her, giving her the name of Helen. The Emperor Constantino Porphyrogenitus was her godfather. He has left an account of her visit to his Court, and of the ceremonies of her reception. Many other particulars were added by story-tellers of later date.
Laden with presents and compliments, she returned to Kiew. She ardently wished for the conversion of her son, and pressed him much on the subject, but he remained an obstinate heathen and savage. In 967, while he was fighting in Bulgaria, the Petchénègues took advantage of his absence to besiege his mother and children in Kiew. The garrison were nearly starved into surrender, but they managed to make the enemy believe that the redoubtable Sviatoslaf was at hand, and the Petchénègues fled in haste. When Sviatoslaf came back he drew such a picture of Pereyaslavetz (the ancient Marcianopolis), now Preslawa, of its riches of nature and art, that he nearly persuaded his boyars to remove thither with him and make it their capital; but his mother, who was now old and infirm, said, "Just wait a very short time, and when you have buried me, yon can go where you like." Four days afterwards, Olga died. She had expressly forbidden that any "Corpse Feast" should be held on her tomb after the manner of the idolaters. She was buried by a Christian priest. She was deeply mourned by her son and grandchildren, and all the people watered her grave with tears of gratitude. The Church calls her "Saint;" history calls her "The Wise." Nestor says she was "the dawn and the star of salvation for Russia." Her example had great weight with her grandson Vladimir in deciding
