The Grand Prince of Kief, Mstislas Romanovitch, had escaped and still occupied a fortified camp on the banks of the Kalka. Abandoned by the rest of the army he attempted still to make a brave defense. The Tartar leaders offered to make terms by the payment of ransom for himself and his army. He capitulated, therefore, and the conditions were at once violated. His guard was massacred and he and his two sons-in-law were smothered to death, while the Tartars held a grand celebration over their dead bodies. This was in 1224. The Tartars did not at this time follow up their victory but returned toward the east, nothing more being heard of them.
For the next thirteen years while the Tartars were busy finished up the conquest of China, the Russian princes turned to the cutting of each others throats, and certain princes of the north who had looked on while the southern brethren were slaughtered by the Asiatics were marked for punishment for their impious conduct. The Mongols were forgotten.
All sorts of disaster overwhelmed the country. There was famine and pestilence, incendiarism in the towns, and the people were further terrified in the superstition by the great comet of 1224 and the eclipse of the sun which occurred in 1230.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
