In rear of the vedettes, on the chaussée, was an intrenchment, with an abatis in front of it; beyond was another village;[7] and to the right the lofty spires of St Denis, towering above the woods, showed us that we were nearer that place than we had expected. What was to be done in this dilemma? Two troops of horse-artillery, totally unsupported, within musket-shot of the enemy’s lines! During our march we had not fallen in with a single corps, and every house was deserted, so that we had no opportunity of gaining information. I had relied on Bull’s experience, which, however, in this instance, was at fault. We both agreed as to the necessity of a retreat; as also that we ought to betray no hurry and confusion in so doing. The French pickets and those within the intrenchment were evidently watching us very attentively, but made no move, nor did we for a short time. Whilst thus hesitating, a few of the staff corps made their appearance in the fields on our right, and from them we were rejoiced to learn our neighbourhood to the main body, which occupied all the country in that direction; the staff corps being on the extreme left in the village of Dugny, which, though close at hand, was hid from us among the trees. This accounted at once for the inactivity of the enemy; so, reversing, we followed a miserable cross-road through some low swampy ground to Dugny, where the officers of the staff corps succeeded in deciphering our ticket, and gave us directions for finding Garges, the place mentioned. The infantry must have advanced whilst we halted at Chenevière, for these people appeared settled in their quarters. The route pointed out led us for about half a mile between meadows surrounded with high trees and intermingled with little thickets; then, after crossing a small muddy rivulet, we debouched upon more open ground, and a most interesting scene burst upon us. On our left, and very near, the Abbey of St Denis with its elegant spires reared its venerable form above the intervening thick masses of foliage, formed by the converging of several chaussées with their noble bordering of elms, to a point near the town. Beyond, in the distance, appeared the heights of Montmartre, with its telegraph and numerous windmills and chalky cliffs; a narrow gap, through which was seen the dome of St Genevieve, separated them from the heights of Belleville, where a succession of the same sort of white cliffs encouraged the idea of a gap having here been broken through the range of heights, leaving Montmartre an isolated mass. Through this gap we obtained the first view of Paris, and the heights were everywhere gay with white buildings, gardens, shrubberies, &c.