...the so-called False Dimitri, who claimed to be the son of Ivan and acted almost as Terrible. Eventually Dimitri was killed, and his body was burned and the ashes shot through a cannon to make sure he was dead. A strong strain of skepticism runs through the Russian character.I'd often heard that last part quoted as the Russians "fired his ashes in the direction of Poland, from whence he had come."
For some reason, I always imagined a small group of Russians standing around, listing to the fading echoes of the cannon when one of them turns to the others and asks "What do you think? Should that do it?" The others look around, nod their concensus, and head for home.