344 THE COLTON PAPERS. 



pline, and a mistaken sense of duty, determined the wavering, and, 

 with the painful feelings that these conflicting sentiments must in- 

 spire, they awaited the onset. Here we must remind our readers 

 that, after the people had retired on the close of Wednesday, a large 

 body of the Royal Guard were stationed for the night in front of the 

 Louvre, but about three o'clock were removed, and the defence of 

 this part of the palace confided to the Swiss troops, three of whom 

 were placed behind each of the double columns between the windows 

 of the first floor, and in other parts, from whence they could fire in 

 security. At half past three in the morning, the tocsins began to 

 sound in various quarters, and the cries of Aux Armes ! were plainly 

 heard as the populace began to assemble. The noise of breaking up 

 the pavements in the various streets contiguous to the Palace now 

 plainly indicated that the attack was about to be renewed ; and at 

 half past four, at the extremity ot the rue des Poulies, a narrow short 

 street leading from the rue St. Honore, the populace commenced re- 

 moving from their places the paving stones, in order to form a bar- 

 rier on the left of the colonnade. Upon this point a murderous fire 

 was commenced by the Swiss troops, which was kept up without a 

 moment's intermission during the whole progress of its completion. 

 A few shots were fired from a window of the house next the spot 

 were the barrier was erecting, which, without doing much mischief, 

 divided the attention of the Swiss; but many of the populace fell. 

 It was now evident, however, that no losses, severe as they might be, 

 could intimidate the dauntless spirit of the assailants. The groans of 

 the wounded and dying were mingled with shouts of anticipated vic- 

 tory ; and the deepening roar of the increasing multitudes, each in- 

 stant arriving at the scene of combat, from all parts of the city, 

 seemed to carry dismay into the ranks of the royal troops. One of 

 the populace, a man of almost gigantic stature, on receiving his death- 

 wound shouted, with a voice of thunder, " Vive la nation," and in- 

 stantly fell a corpse upon the barrier he had been assisting to erect. 

 The death of this man, who had been among the most active and in- 

 trepid of the brave during the struggle, drew forth loud shouts of 

 vengeance from his companions, and seemed to make a momentary 

 impression on the troops. The barrier was completed about eleven 

 o'clock, and a smart fire kept up from it. It was from this that two 

 of the assailants first sprang forward and gained the iron railings, 

 enclosing the front of the Louvre, where there is a dwarf wall (about 

 two feet and a half high) under which they lay down, and continued 

 to fire upon the troops. Their example was soon after followed by 

 two of the National Guards, one of whom carried a large tri-coloured 

 flag, with which he contrived to crawl to a water-butt standing close 

 to the railing, and from behind it managed to place the flag with his 

 gun and bayonet on the railing of the Louvre. This act of daring, 

 performed in the midst of a shower of bullets, was hailed with re- 

 iterated cries of Vive la Charte ! 



Great indeed was the courage of those who, without the means of 

 a siege, boldly determined upon its capture. Garrisoned by a nu- 

 merous body of Swiss, posted at every window and outlet where they 

 could aim with security, their deadly precision was soon apparent in 



