ir
guns, and had re-entered their houses. They lent their street, that was
all.

It was therefore necessary to hold the advanced barricade as long as
possible. But what was to be done, and how was the resistance to be
maintained? They had scarcely two shots per man left.

An unexpected source of supply arrived.

A young man, I can name him, for he is dead--Pierre Tissie,[19] who was
a workman, and who also was a poet, had worked during a portion of the
morning at the barricades, and at the moment when the firing began he
went away, stating as his reason that they would not give him a gun. In
the barricade they had said, "There is one who is afraid."

Pierre Tissie was not afraid, as we shall see later on.

He left the barricade.

Pierre Tissie had only his knife with him, a Catalan knife; he opened
it at all hazards, he held it in his hand, and went on straight before
him.

As he came out of the Rue Saint Sauveur, he saw at the corner of a
little lonely street, in which all the windows were closed, a soldier
of the line standing sentry, posted there doubtlessly by the main guard
at a little distance.

This soldier was at the halt with his gun to his shoulder ready to
fire.

He heard the step of Pierre Tissie, and cried out,--

"Who goes there?"

"Death!" answered Pierre Tissie.

The soldier fired, and missed Pierre Tissie, who sprang on him, and
struck him down with a blow of his knife.

The soldier fell, and blood spurted out of his mouth.

"I did not know I should speak so truly," muttered Pierre Tissie.

And he added, "Now for the ambulance!"

He took the soldier on his back, picked up the gun which had fallen to
the ground, and came back to the barricade. "I bring you a wounded
man," said he.

"A dead man," they exclaimed.

In truth the soldier had just expired.

"Infamous Bonaparte!" said Tissie. "Poor red breeches! All the same, I
have got a gun."

They emptied the soldier's pouch and knapsack. They divided the
cartridges. There were 150 of them. There were also two gold pieces of
ten francs, two days' pay since the 2d of December. These were thrown
on the ground, no one would take them.

They distributed the cartridges with shouts of "Long live the Republic!"

Meanwhile the attacking party had placed a mortar in position by the
side of the cannon.

The distribution of the cartridges was hardly ended when the infantry
appeared, and charged upon the barricade with the bayonet. This s