formation was
forwarded to us from every side. Testelin, the Representative of Lille,
is not only a learned man, but a brave man. On the morning of the 3d he
had reached, shortly after me, the Saint Antoine barricade, where
Baudin had just been killed. All was at an end in that direction.
Testelin was accompanied by Charles Gambon, another dauntless man.[21]
The two Representatives wandered through the agitated and dark streets,
little followed, in no way understood, seeking a ferment of insurgents,
and only finding a swarming of the curious. Testelin, nevertheless,
having come to the Committee, informed us of the following:--At the
corner of a street of the Faubourg Saint Antoine Gambon and himself had
noticed a crowd. They had gone up to it. This crowd was reading a bill
placarded on a wall. It was the Appeal to Arms signed "Victor Hugo."
Testelin asked Gambon, "Have you a pencil?" "Yes," answered Gambon.
Testelin took the pencil, went up to the placard, and wrote his name
beneath mine, then he gave the pencil to Gambon, who in turn wrote his
name beneath that of Testelin. Upon this the crowd shouted, "Bravo!
these are true-hearted men!" "Shout 'Long live the Republic!'" cried
Testelin. All shouted "Long live the Republic!" "And from above, from
the open windows," added Gambon, "women clapped their hands."

"The little hands of women applauding are a good sign," said Michel de
Bourges.

As has been seen, and we cannot lay too much stress upon the fact, what
the Committee of Resistance wished was to prevent the shedding of blood
as much as possible. To construct barricades, to let them be destroyed,
and to reconstruct them at other points, to avoid the army, and to wear
it out, to wage in Paris the war of the desert, always retreating,
never yielding, to take time for an ally, to add days to days; on the
one hand to give the people time to understand and to rise, on the
other, to conquer the _coup d'etat_ by the weariness of the army; such
was the plan discussed and adopted.

The order was accordingly given that the barricades should be but
slightly defended.

We repeated in every possible form to the combatants,--

"Shed as little blood as possible! Spare the blood of the soldiers and
husband your own."

Nevertheless, the struggle once begun, it became impossible in many
instances, during certain excited hours of fighting, to moderate their
ardor. Several barricades were obstinately defended, particularly those