FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158  
159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   >>   >|  
right. Dulac said to him, "You scarcely know me, Citizen Schoelcher, but I love you. Let me have the charge of remaining by your side. I only belong to the second rank in the Assembly, but I want to be in the first rank of the battle." At this moment some men in blouses, those whom the Second of December had enlisted, appeared at the corner of the Rue Ste. Marguerite, close to the barricade, and shouted, "Down with the 'Twenty-five francs!'" Baudin who had already selected his post for the combat, and who was standing on the barricade, looked fixedly at these men, and said to them,-- "You shall see how one can die for 'twenty-five francs!'" There was a noise in the street. Some few doors which had remained half opened were closed. The two attacking columns had arrived in sight of the barricade. Further on could be seen confusedly other lines of bayonets. They were those which had barred my passage. Schoelcher, raising his arm with authority, signed to the captain, who commanded the first squad, to halt. The captain made a negative sign with his sword. The whole of the Second of December was in these two gestures. The Law said, "Halt!" The Sabre answered, "No!" The two companies continued to advance, but slowly, and keeping at the same distance from each other. Schoelcher came down from the barricade into the street. De Flotte, Dulac, Malardier, Brillier, Maigne, and Bruckner followed him. Then was seen a grand spectacle. Seven Representatives of the People, armed only with their sashes, that is to say, majestically clothed with Law and Right, advanced in the street beyond the barricade, and marched straight to the soldiers, who awaited them with their guns pointed at them. The other Representatives who had remained at the barricade made their last preparations for resistance. The combatants maintained an intrepid bearing. The Naval Lieutenant Cournet towered above them all with his tall stature. Baudin, still standing on the overturned omnibus, leaned half over the barricade. On seeing the Representatives approach, the soldiers and their officers were for the moment bewildered. Meanwhile the captain signed to the Representatives to stop. They stopped, and Schoelcher said in an impressive voice,-- "Soldiers! we are the Representatives of the Sovereign People, we are your Representatives, we are the Elect of Universal Suffrage. In the name of the Constitution, in the name of Universal Suffra
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158  
159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
barricade
 

Representatives

 

Schoelcher

 

street

 

captain

 
remained
 
Baudin
 

standing

 
francs
 

signed


soldiers

 

Universal

 
People
 

December

 
Second
 

moment

 
majestically
 
clothed
 

straight

 

pointed


awaited

 

marched

 

advanced

 

battle

 

Flotte

 

Malardier

 

Brillier

 

Maigne

 

Bruckner

 

preparations


spectacle

 
sashes
 

combatants

 

impressive

 

Soldiers

 
stopped
 

officers

 
bewildered
 

Meanwhile

 
Constitution

Suffra
 

Suffrage

 
Sovereign
 
Assembly
 

approach

 

Lieutenant

 
Cournet
 

towered

 
bearing
 

distance