r the Germans had swept in from Belgium, and had taken the
cities of Lille, Roubaix, and Longwy. The French army had attempted to
strike and shatter the Germans at their weakest point, and failed.

Paris prepared for the worst when the Kaiser's conquering army reached
La Fere, about seventy miles away. From Amiens to La Fere the Germans
pressed their attack hardest. As the Allies were seen to be gradually
falling back, reserve troops were assembled in Paris and the forts put
in readiness for siege.

THE FORTIFICATIONS OP PARIS

Paris has one of the strongest fortification systems of any city in the
world. The siege of the giant city would be a much greater undertaking
than forty-four years ago, as the fortifications have been essentially
augmented and strengthened since the Franco-Prussian war.

[Illustration: MAP OF FRENCH CAPITAL WITH STARS INDICATING POSITION
OF FORTIFICATIONS]

The fortifications consist of the old city walls, the old belt of forts
and the new enceinture of the fortified camps, which have been advanced
far outside of the reach of the old forts. The main wall, ten meters
(33 feet) high, consists of ninety-four bastions and is surrounded by a
ditch fifteen meters wide. Behind the wall a ringroad and a belt line
run around the city.

The belt of old forts surrounds this main fortification of the city at
a little distance and consists of not less than sixteen forts. Those
farthest advanced are hardly half a mile distant from the main wall. The
experiences of the last war, the immense progress of the artillery, and
especially the wider reach of the modern siege guns induced the French
army authorities to build a belt of still stronger forts, which
surrounds the old fortress of 1870 like a protective net. The forts,
redoubts and batteries belonging to this last belt of fortifications
are situated at least two miles from the city limits proper, and even
Versailles is taken into this belt of fortifications.

The circumference of the circle formed by them is 124 kilometers
(nearly 77 miles) and the space included in it amounts to 1,200 square
kilometers. This new belt of fortifications consists of seven forts of
the first class, sixteen forts of the second class and fifty redoubts or
batteries, which are connected with each other by the "Great Belt Line,"
of 113 kilometers (71 miles).

FORM LARGE FORTIFIED CAMPS

The strongest of these forts form fortified camps, large enough to
give protection to