Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/278

 gates of Vânves and Vaugirard. Some of the insurgents appear to have lost their way, and to have wandered about the catacombs with which the caves were connected, until they found an issue. Several remained under ground for twenty-four hours, and there were probably others still lost in the labyrinth of arched ways which extend an immense distance to the south of the city. The men who arrived by those galleries were in a miserable condition, being covered with dirt and worn out with fatigue. It was this incident that probably gave rise to the rumor that a number of gendarmes, disguised as National Guards, had attempted to enter Paris by the sewers. The army of Versailles occupied the fort during the afternoon, and at once opened trenches to cut off all communications with the interior, and prevent a surprise.

The cannonade during the day from Montretout and Mont Valérien on the Point-du-Jour was fearful. The insurgents were compelled to abandon entirely the bastions at the ramparts, and they could only now await the assault. The shells continued to fall on the quay at Passy and around the Pont de Grenelle, making fearful havoc among the houses. The villas there were besides pillaged in a most barefaced manner by bands of individuals, many wearing the uniforms of National Guards. They were accompanied by women, and trucks, in which they carried off everything portable.

On the night of the 14th the regular troops succeeded in throwing a bridge across the Seine below Asnières; in this work they were lighted by the glare from two houses which were burning near the river. The insurgents attempted to oppose their passage, but were driven back to the ramparts by the fire from Bécon and the redoubt of Gennevilliers. The soldiers then spread to the right and left along the banks of the river. Exchanging shots with the insurgents, they finally advanced to the gate of Clichy