A Girl of the Commune

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XII.

  The Franc-tireurs des Ecoles had marched out beyond the walls when theorder came that the affair was postponed, and that they would not berequired till the following day, when they were to parade at daybreak.There was much indignation at the change and all sorts of causes weresuggested for it. One rumor was to the effect that the pontoon bridgesfor crossing the river were of insufficient length. Others said that thetrain of provisions that was to accompany the force after it had cut itsway through the Prussians was not ready. One rumor was to the effectthat the Prussians had been apprised by spies of Trochu's intentions andhad massed heavy bodies of men at the threatened point. The mostgenerally received opinion was that Trochu's object had been only tomake a demonstration on this side of Paris, with the object of deceivingthe Prussians and inducing them to weaken their lines at other points,and that the real attack would be made in another direction altogether.

  "It is a nuisance whichever way it is," Cuthbert said, as, after thecorps was dismissed, he walked back with a group of his friends, "it isa mistake too. We had all got ourselves up to boiling heat, and had madeup our minds to go through with it, and this delay is like a dash ofcold water. Of course it is the same with the rest of the force. Onehates being humbugged, and it makes one doubt whether our generals knowtheir business. Well, there is one thing, the delay won't be a longone; it is eight o'clock now, and as we must be up by six, I shall turnin at once and get a good sleep. Be sure and don't forget your flasks inthe morning. The weather gets colder and colder."

  The next morning, however, the men were again dismissed after parade,and told they were to fall in again at daybreak next day. There was afeeling of restlessness and disquiet throughout Paris. The town wasplacarded with proclamations of Trochu and Ducrot. The latter was a sortof valedictory letter to Paris, saying that he was going out to conqueror to die, and that if defeated, he would never return to Paris alive.It was evident by their tone that at the time the proclamations werepenned it was intended that the battle should take place on that day,and that the delay was consequent upon a breakdown in the arrangementsand was not the result of any fixed plan.

  Paris for once was serious. Special services were held in all thechurches and these were thronged by citizens and soldiers. Cuthbert wentto the building where a few of the English residents attended servicethroughout the siege. Mary Brander was not present, but as she had saidthe day before that she would be on duty for twenty-four hours, he hadnot expected to see her.

  In the afternoon he went to a restaurant and dined fairly well,indulging himself in all the luxuries obtainable, and then returned andspent the evening with Rene and Pierre. The next morning, when hedressed himself for parade, he took the precaution of putting on as manyarticles of underclothing as he could button his tunic over. This timethere was no mistake in the orders, as not a few of those who fell inhad hoped in their hearts might be the case. As soon as the corps wasformed up and their arms and ammunition-pouches examined, the word wasgiven and they marched away towards the gate of Charenton and issuedout. Many bodies of troops were converging upon it and the other gateson that side of the city, with trains of ammunition and supply wagons,and there was a delay of an hour before they could pass out. The greaterpart of the force had left the city on the two previous days, and ahundred thousand men under Ducrot were massed in the Bois de Vincennesand between that point and the neck of the loop formed by the Marne.

  The Franc-tireurs were halted near Charenton, and learning that theattack would not take place till night, the colonel took possession ofan empty barn near the village. The men piled their arms outside andmade themselves as comfortable as they could. Now that there was nolonger any doubt that an engagement would take place in a few hours thenatural light-heartedness of the students revived. All had brought withthem a good store of provisions in their haversacks, and each mancarried a thick blanket besides his military cloak. Many of them had, inaddition to their flasks, slipped a bottle of wine into theirhaversacks, and a meal was joyously partaken of, after which pipes werelighted, and with their blankets wrapt round their legs, all wereinclined to agree that campaigning even in winter had its pleasures.

  "We are a deal better off than most of the troops," Cuthbert said toArnold Dampierre, "it must be bitter in the snow out in the woods, andit will be worse when it gets dark."

  "It is better for all than it was for our fellows in the South,"Dampierre said. "We have warm clothes and plenty to eat. They were inrags and often well-nigh starving."

  "Yes, that must have been a very rough business. It is a great advantagethat we are Franc-tireurs and therefore free, to a great extent, tofollow our own devices. I heard the colonel say that when he had appliedfor orders he was told that none would be given to detached corps likehis, but that now, as at other times, they must make themselves usefulwhen they saw an opportunity. The line are to cross first, then themobile, and then the active battalions of the National Guards. If Ijudge the colonel rightly he will manage to put us somewhere in front.We stand well after that affair at Bourget, so I have no doubt he willget us across one of the bridges as soon as the line are over."

  Soon after four o'clock it began to get dusk.

  The colonel, who had been away endeavoring to find out what was thegeneral plan of operations, returned soon after. The officers gatheredround him.

  "Pontoon bridges will be thrown across the river on both sides of theloop. The pontonners will set to work on them when it is dark. I fancythe real attack will be through Champigny, and that on the other sidewill be more of the nature of a false alarm; so we will go with the mainforce. There are some strong batteries erected in the loop which willprepare the way for us and a big train of field-guns. The troops willbegin to cross at early daylight, so we can't do better than remainwhere we are until five o'clock. Then we will go and take our place nearone of the bridges and slip across as soon as we see an opportunity.With such a mass of troops to move, there are sure to be delays inbringing the regiments up, and the first that occurs, we will slip inand get over. The men may as well lie down at once and get a goodnight."

  It needed somewhat close packing for the men to rest themselves, but thecrowding was more than counter balanced by the warmth, and it was notlong before all were asleep. At one o'clock in the morning, they wereawakened by a tremendous cannonade. All the forts round Paris hadsuddenly opened fire upon the German positions. Believing that the enemymust have obtained a knowledge of the approaching sortie and wereanticipating it by assaulting the forts, the colonel ordered the men tostand to their arms. In an hour the firing ceased and all was quietagain. The men, with a little grumbling at being taken out and chilledin the night air, returned to the barn. At four o'clock they were againaroused by the fire being resumed.

  "We may as well be off, lads," the colonel said, "we have some distanceto march, and it is not worth while to turn in again."

  Between the reports of the guns a dull rumbling sound could be heard.

  "The artillery and train are on the move," Cuthbert said to Rene, whowas next to him in the ranks, "so we shall not be too soon if we are totake our share in the early part of the fighting."

  They left the main road and followed the fields, as many of them werewell acquainted with the country, and they had no difficulty in keepingin the right direction. The men marched at ease, each picking his way asbest he could across the ground, which was broken up into smallenclosures and gardens. They halted outside a village on the banks ofthe Marne where one of the pontoon bridges had been thrown across. Herethey piled arms and endeavored to keep themselves warm by stamping theirfeet and swinging their arms.

  Soon after morning dawned, heavy firing broke out suddenly behind them.The colonel had learnt at Charenton that General Vinoy, with 15,000 men,was to advance from between the southern forts to attack Ville Juif andthe heights of Mesly, so as to induce a concentration of the enemy inthat direction, and so to diminish the difficulties of the main advance.

  For a time the
re was a sound of cannon only, then came a crackle ofmusketry telling that the advance had begun. The battery on thecommanding position of St. Maur opened in earnest, and was aided byseveral batteries of field artillery, the din being now incessant.Gradually the rattle of musketry became fainter, showing that the Frenchwere driving the enemy back, and a mounted officer riding past told themthat Montmesly was taken. The news raised the spirits of the soldiers tothe highest point, and their impatience was becoming almostuncontrollable, when the order arrived for them to advance, and thetroops at once began to cross the six pontoon bridges that had beenthrown at different points across the Marne.

  "There is no hurry, mes braves," the colonel said, as the Franc-tireursstamped with impatience as they saw the columns crossing the river,while they remained in enforced inactivity. "At first the troops willcarry all before them as Vinoy's men have done. The fighting will onlycommence in earnest when the Prussians bring up their supports. We shallbe in time for that, never fear. We ought to have begun at daybreak," hegrowled, in a low voice, to the major, "four precious hours have beenwasted. By this time we ought to have gained at least three or fourmiles of ground; in that case we might have been through the Prussianlines before sunset. Every hour in these short days is of importance."

  Presently the roll of musketry showed that the French skirmishers wereengaged with the German outposts. The Franc-tireurs had by this timemoved down close to the bridge; but it was not until midday that theywere able to cross; then the colonel, taking advantage of a short delayon the part of one of the regiments to come up to the bridge, pushed themen across, and leaving the road took them forward at the double. Bythis time the roar of battle was unbroken. The batteries along theheights behind them, the forts, and the field-guns in advance were allhard at work, the shell flying over the heads of the advancing troopsand bursting in the villages held by the Germans. In front, the rattleof musketry was deafening. Champigny, they learned from a woundedsoldier who was making his way to the rear, had been carried, and thetroops there had pushed some distance forward, but on the leftVilliers-la-Desert was found to be too strongly fortified to be taken.The French batteries were, however, raining shell upon it.

  As the Franc-tireurs approached Champigny they saw that the place hadnot been taken without a severe struggle. The bodies of French soldiersstrewed the ground thickly, and as they passed through the streets, theSaxon uniforms were mingled with those of their assailants. The corpspushed forward until they ascended the low hills behind the village.Here they found the French troops halted. It was evident Ducrot did notintend to advance further until joined by the whole of his command.

  "This is pure madness," the colonel said; "by to-morrow we shall havefifty thousand Germans in front of us. If Ducrot hasn't got his wholeforce, and his train and ambulances up, he might at least carry Villiersby assault. Of course it could not be done without loss, but what havewe come out for but to fight. We cannot advance as long as they holdthat place, for when their supports come up, as you may be sure theywill do ere long, they can pour out from there and take us in the rear.However, we may as well go forward to the skirmishing line. We will workdown by the right. If the German supports come up they are likely toadvance that way, and as I hear no firing in that quarter, we may findsome spot unoccupied by the line."

  The order was given, and the corps marched off, and presently took uptheir position between the river and the French regiment forming theextreme right flank of the advance. In extended order and takingadvantage of every inequality of the ground, they pushed on, and afteradvancing a quarter of a mile, were brought to a standstill by a suddenoutbreak of musketry fire at various points along the crest of a slightrise some six hundred yards in front of them. Taking cover behind a lowwall running at right angles to the river, they opened a dropping firein return. This, however, was at once stopped by the colonel, whohimself went along the line.

  "Don't throw away a shot, lads," he said, "you may want every cartridgebefore you have done. It will be time enough to begin when they show inforce over that crest."

  There was no more for the men to do than there had been when they werewaiting for their turn to cross the bridge, but they were satisfied, nowthey were in the front line, and within shot of the enemy. The march hadset their blood in circulation, and while two or three of each companykept a keen lookout over the top of the wall, the others laughed andjoked, after first employing themselves in knocking holes through thewall, a few inches above the ground, so that they could lie and firethrough if the enemy advanced. The musketry fire had almost ceased awayto their right, and they hoped that Vinoy had established himself wellout in that direction. Various were the conjectures as to why theadvance had ceased on their own side. Some conjectured that Trochu'splan consisted only in crossing the river and then marching back againin order to accustom the troops to stand fire. One suggested that thegeneral had come out without ink or paper with which to write hisgrandiose proclamations to the Parisians, and they were waiting until ithad been fetched from his office.

  "What do you think, Henri?" Rene asked the lieutenant.

  "I should say," he said, gravely, "that when our advance came upon thereal Prussian line of defence, they found it too strong to be carried.They must have known that they could never hold Champigny under the fireof our guns and forts, and used it only as an outpost. Of course it isfrom this side they would think it likely that we should try to breakout, and they would certainly erect batteries to command all the roads.They have had nothing else to do for the last ten weeks."

  "I have no doubt that is partly the reason, Henri," Cuthbert said, "butI think it may be principally due to the fact that Ducrot can't get histroops across the river. Even with a well-organized army and a goodstaff, and commanding officers who all know their duty, it is a big jobto get a hundred thousand men, with artillery, ambulances, and trainsacross a river. Here, with the exception of Ducrot himself and a few ofthe line officers, nobody knows anything about the matter. By what wesaw, I should think there are not more than twenty thousand men acrossthe river, and the confusion on the other side must be frightful. Weourselves saw that the street of that village was absolutely choked upwith wagons, and I have no doubt all the roads are the same. Of coursethey never ought to have moved forward at all till all the troops wereover. If Trochu really meant to break out, the north is the side wherehe should have tried. The whole force could have been massed between thewalls and St. Denis and have been marched in regular order against thePrussians, with the field-batteries at intervals and the trainsfollowing at a proper distance on the various lines of roads.

  "I hope that is his plan still, and that this attack from the South isonly a feint to draw as many of the Germans as possible over to thisside. We have a tremendous advantage in having this short line to marchacross. If Trochu were to send the train off at once, while we recrossedand followed as soon as it was dark, the whole army might be outside thenorthern wall before morning. To-morrow we might get into position forattack, make all the arrangements, and advance far enough to dashforward at their lines as soon as it is light next day, and withDucrot's and Vinoy's force united, we ought to go right through them. Weshould have 115,000 men, and I don't suppose they could oppose us with athird of that number. However strong their positions, we ought to beable to carry them if we went at them with a rush. Besides, we shouldhave the guns at the northern forts to help us. At any rate, after thisdelay here, I consider the idea of any further advance in this directionto be out of the question. By to-morrow morning they may have a hundredthousand men facing us, and if we don't recross to-night, we may find itvery difficult business to do so to-morrow."

  "We have got the batteries and forts to cover us," Henri Vaucour said."The Germans could never advance against us in force under their fire."

  "I hope we are going to cross this evening, if we are going to cross atall," Pierre Leroux said. "It is cold enough now, but if we are going topass the night here, it will be bitter."

  "There are
those houses by the river, we are a good deal nearer to themthan any other troops," Arnold Dampierre said; "they will hold us if wepack in pretty closely."

  As the afternoon wore on, the colonel sent two officers to inspect thehouses, which were all found to be empty. As soon as he received thereport, he sent twenty men off with orders to cut down hedges and formfagots, and then to light fires in each room. There was no furthermovement. A heavy musketry fire was kept up far away to the left, andthe batteries occasionally fired heavily; but all idea of movement wasevidently abandoned for the day, and the enemy were not in sufficientforce to take the offensive.

  As soon as it became dark, therefore, half a company were left on guardat the wall, and the rest of the corps marched off to the houses.Roaring fires were blazing in every room, for some fruit trees had beencut down and split up into logs. The party on guard were to be relievedevery two hours. As soon as the men were bestowed in their quarters, themajor went off to discover, if possible, what had been the result ofthe fighting on the other side of the loop. It was two hours before hereturned, and the news he brought was dispiriting.

  "I have been up to Creteil," he said, "and have learnt from the peoplethere who saw the whole affair what has happened. The advance was good.We swept the Germans at first before us, and for a time our fellows madea stand on the crest of Montmesly. But the enemy were reinforced anddrove us down the hill again. Then came a disgraceful panic. Thesoldiers who had fought fairly at first, became a mob; the mobile, whohad not done as well as had been expected, were worse. There was abattalion of the National Guard of Belleville, and the scoundrels ranwithout firing a shot. At Creteil the men absolutely fought to getthrough the street. It was disgraceful. I hear that further to the rightthe line did better, and that we still hold Ville Juif and othervillages well in advance of our old position. That is all I could learn.They say our losses have been pretty heavy; at any rate Creteil is fullof wounded, and the ambulances are taking them into Paris. There isgreat confusion on the other side of the river. The roads are all chokedwith the wagon-trains. Nobody has got any orders, nobody knows what isgoing to be done, no one knows where Ducrot or Trochu are. It is enoughto make one tear one's hair to see such confusion and mismanagement."

  The night passed off quietly. The next day, to the surprise of everyone,things remained unchanged. No effort was made to pass the baggage-trainover the bridges. A portion of the troops had been put under canvas thefirst evening, and save for the dead still lying about, the broken arms,the stains of blood, and the parties engaged in carrying the woundedacross the river to the ambulance wagons, and others burying the dead,the scene differed little from an ordinary encampment. The troopslaughed and jested round the camp-fires, and occupied themselves withtheir cooking; the horses that had been killed were already butskeletons, the flesh having been cut off for food. The advance partieshad been called in, and a barricade thrown up just beyond Champigny,where the advance guard occasionally exchanged shots with the Prussiansa few hundred yards away. Strong parties were at work erecting a seriesof earthworks on the hill.

  The Franc-tireurs fell back from the position they had held the nightbefore, and established themselves in a few houses, half roofless andshattered by shell, between Champigny and the river. Most of the housesin the long straggling street of Champigny bore marks of the conflictthat had raged there before the Saxons had been driven out. Fortunatelylarge stores of straw were found in the village, and these added much tothe comfort of the troops, and the Franc-tireurs carried off a good manytrusses to their quarters. Considerable amounts of other stores werealso discovered there, and were thoroughly appreciated by the soldiersafter their restricted rations.

  They smoked their pipes that evening feeling thankful that as they laybehind Champigny there was no occasion for them to turn out on outpostduty.

  "They say we shall fight again to-morrow for certain," Rene said.

  "I think it likely we shall, Rene, but I should be inclined to bet tento one, that it is the Prussians who will attack. They will have hadforty-eight hours to mass their forces here, and will be fools if theydon't take advantage of the opportunity we have been good enough to givethem."

  Day was just breaking when a sharp rattle of musketry broke out. TheFranc-tireurs sprang to their feet.

  "I should have won my bet, Rene, if you had taken it," Cuthbertexclaimed, as he slung his cartridge-box over his shoulder. "They are onus all along the line."

  In less than a minute the rattle of musketry swelled into a continuousroar, above which came the boom of cannon and the explosion of shells inand around Champigny. Just as the corps was formed up, the heavy guns inthe battery of St. Maur behind them opened fire, their deep roarsounding loud above the sharp explosion of the Prussian field-guns. Asthey advanced at the double towards the village, they could see a mob ofpanic-stricken men rushing from the front.

  "The cowards, the vile cowards!" broke from the lips of the men, and assome of the fugitives ran past them, they saluted them with yells andcries of contempt. Fully five thousand panic-stricken men were in wildflight, all rushing towards the bridge.

  "If I were the commander of St. Maur," Rene said, "I would turn my gunsupon these cowards. They are greater enemies to France than are thePrussians."

  "Forward, my children," shouted the old colonel, "let us show them thatthere are still some Frenchmen ready to fight and die for theircountry."

  The officer in command of St. Maur, and the general on the spot, wereequal to the situation. Seventy or eighty field-pieces were massed roundthe redoubt, and a tremendous fire opened upon the Prussian batteriesout on the plain, while a strong guard was sent down to the end of thebridge to bar the way to the mob of fugitives. The Germans had alreadyobtained possession of the other end of the village when theFranc-tireurs entered it, but a small body of troops were standing firm.Some barricades thrown up across the street were manned, and from theseand from every house they replied to the fire of the advancingPrussians. But the latter were still pushing on, wresting house by housefrom their hands, while a hail of shell from the German batteries fellupon the part of the village still held by the French. As theFranc-tireurs advanced the colonel ordered one company to wheel off oneither hand to occupy the gardens behind the houses, and so prevent theenemy from taking the defenders in the rear. He himself pressed forwarddown the street to aid the soldiers at the barricades.

  The sun had by this time risen, and its light, glinting on the Prussianhelmets, showed strong bodies advancing down the slopes into thevillage. The woods on either hand were still held by the French, but theirregular fire showed that they were not in strong force. The din wasterrific, three or four of the French mitrailleuses were adding to theroar, and sending streams of bullets into the advancing Germans. Nervedby the desperation of the situation, and fiercely angered at thecowardice of their countrymen, the young artists of Cuthbert's companydashed forward, climbing walls, bursting through hedges, burning witheagerness to meet the foe.

  The Prussian shells were bursting all round, bullets sang above andaround them, the rattle of musketry grew louder and fiercer, but therewas not a moment's check until Francois des Valles shouted to them tohalt behind a low wall. The enemy were but a hundred yards away,pressing forward through the gardens.

  "Steady men, steady," he shouted. "Lie down for a minute to get breath,then let every other man open fire, but don't throw away a shot. Let theothers try and get some stones out of the wall and make loop-holes."

  As yet they had not been seen by the Germans, and these were but fiftyyards away in a thick line of skirmishers, when Des Valles gave theword, and the Franc-tireurs, rising on one knee and resting theirmuskets on the wall, opened a steady fire upon them. Many fell, andtaken by surprise the rest ran back to a wall some thirty yards in rearand thence opened a heavy fire.

  "Lie down, lads," Des Valles shouted, and all set to work to loop-holethe wall. "Don't show your heads above it, unless they advance again.All we have got to do is to hold our ground."<
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