Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/187

 the gate the destruction of property was even greater, for in that part the houses were not only damaged, but most of them were literally levelled with the ground.

The troops from Versailles formed a line across the Avenue de Neuilly, at the point which marked the portion of the village they occupied, and beyond which the inhabitants residing in that direction were not allowed to go. On the other hand, those living beyond the line of demarcation could only return to Paris through the lateral streets and the gates of Bineau and Ternes.

At half-past four in the afternoon the insurgents formed a cordon across the Avenue de la Grande Armée, and advancing in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe, pushed before them the crowd, as the armistice was to cease at five. The spectators were reluctant to retire, anxious to hear the first shot announcing the recommencement of hostilities. At eight o'clock the guns of Porte Maillot and Ternes were again heard. The southern forts continued to fire during the day. A reconnaissance made from Fort Vanves discovered that a new battery had been established by the Versailles troops 300 yards below the plateau. Several small engagements occurred on the side of Billancourt, but without any definite result.

The sittings of the Commune were becoming daily more boisterous. The "Citoyen" Régère had given the "Citoyen" Vermorel the lie. The "Citoyen" J. B. Clement had demanded the arrest of Citoyen Felix Pyat, because the latter had threatened to resign. A sharp quarrel had also arisen between Pyat and Vermorel, and hard names were not spared on either side; the epistles interchanged being alike remarkable for their bitterness and diffuseness. The Cri du Peuple gave a letter from the last-named member accusing the former of cowardice, and affirming that the failure of the attack on the Hotel-de-Ville the 31st of October, arose solely from his being afraid