in occupation
of it, and had loop-holed the Church of St. Eustache, which they held in
great force. Shouts of warning from the crowd standing near me at the
corner of the Rue Montmartre made her at last quicken her pace, though I
doubt whether she quite understood them or knew her danger. I scarcely
know whether Paris combatants at this period are considerate enough to
wait till the ground is clear of non-combatants, or whether out of
politeness each side was waiting for the other to fire first. In any
case the regulars did not wait long. A colonel of the Staff, with cane
in one hand and in the other a map of Paris, studying, stood at the
corner of a side street, gave his men the order to commence instantly. A
soldier on each side took a step forward, and exposing himself as little
as possible fired up at the barricade. After he had fired he fell back
to reload, and another all ready took his place, so that, though there
were at first very few men--not more than 20 perhaps--firing was pretty
hot. Quick came back the response of the Reds, and whizzing went their
bullets down the street, or crashing against projecting corners of the
houses, so near one's ears that it was at first hard to keep from
dodging, despite one's convictions that only Irish guns shoot round
corners. Ricochet balls were not only not more dangerous, but probably
were less dangerous, at the corner than farther off. Some stood as near
as they could to the soldiers. It would be impossible to do this with
the Reds, as they would insist one's taking up a rifle and shooting or
being shot; but the Regulars, so far from forcing, would not even allow
an amateur to indulge in fancy shooting. But taking hurried shots round
a corner at men crouched hundreds of yards off behind well-built
barricades is too slow work to be satisfactory, and the officials came
and began to show signs of impatience. The leader, from a safe post of
observation, was able to take a cool searching view of the situation,
and ordered some of his men, whose numbers were gradually increasing as
they hurried up the street below, ducking heads and hugging walls, to
mount some of the corner houses, while others extemporized a barricade
in the street. To mount the houses was easy enough, though the door of
one had to be broken in, and presently we heard glass tumbling down as
muzzles of rifles were poked through the upper panes, and soon sharp
cracks and thick puffs of smoke leaping out showed th