Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/483

 behind one barricade; they felt their cause to be infallibly lost, and thought only to sell their lives as dearly as possible.

One of the insurgents taken during the combat had with him his two children, one eight and the other ten years of age.

After the death of their father, these two young orphans remained in the midst of the soldiers, who treated them with the greatest kindness.

A few days later, the colonel of the regiment, perceiving these poor little creatures eating out of the same dish with a squad of soldiers, asked their names and how they came there.

A corporal replied that they were the sons of an insurgent condemned to death by court-martial; he added that the two orphans had neither family nor friends to charge themselves with their fate.

Moved by this recital, the colonel proposed to the officers and soldiers to adopt these orphans, and to admit them amongst the children of the troop. His proposition was received with enthusiasm. The children were clothed in military dress, and will be henceforth sons of the 29th of the line.

The following circular was issued by M. Thiers relative to Saturday's military proceedings:

", May 27—7

"Our troops have not ceased to follow up the insurgents step by step. They have carried daily the most important positions, making 25,000 prisoners, besides the killed and wounded. In this ably-calculated march, our generals and their illustrious chief have been desirous of sparing as much as possible our brave soldiers, who were only too anxious to overcome rapidly the obstacles opposed to them.