Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/263

 the dangerous functions; but that he counted on their assistance to render his task more easy. The question seemed to be no longer one of the municipal franchise of Paris, but of social equality and the enfranchisement of France and the world. Delescluze's first order in the official journal ran thus:

"Every officer coming from the exterior or interior who presents himself at the Ministry of War, or at the Place (Place Vendôme), without being the bearer of orders from his hierarchical, will put himself in a position to be immediately arrested.

", "Civil Delegate of War."

On the 10th of May the firing was continuous along the whole south-west line. The fort of Vanves, however, was the principal point of attack, and shells were thrown on it without cessation. The garrison feebly replied, but preparation was being made to answer the fire from the ramparts. Four guns had already been put in position at No. 76, between the gates of Vaugirard and Montrouge, and three others were waiting to be mounted. Some of the iron-clad locomotives which had been used on the western line opposite Asnières were brought round to this side. The batteries of Montretout still continued to bombard the Point-du-Jour.

Auteuil and Passy suffered considerably, and the inhabitants were moving out in all haste. The headquarters of the insurgents had been removed to the Muette gate, but the soldiers on duty there could scarcely show themselves outside the ramparts.

General Dombrowski had a narrow escape from a shell while passing along the Quay d'Auteuil. One fell at the same time into a manufactory at Grenelle, and went through a boiler of a sixty horse power engine, which was fortunately not in use at the moment.