At this moment, the sound of a cannon pierced the air like the explosion of a thunderbolt. It was M. de Montalivet's signal announcing to the king that the ministers were in safety; but we in our ignorance, thought it was a signal sent us by our comrades in the Louvre; we left the general and, drawing our poinards, we rushed across the Pont Neuf, crying: "To arms!" At our shouts and the sight of our uniform and the naked swords, the people opened way for us at once and soon began running in all directions, yelling: "To arms!" We reached the Louvre just as the porters were closing the gates and, pushing back both keepers and gates, we entered by storm. Let them shut the gates behind us, once inside what would it matter? There were about six hundred artillerymen inside the Louvre. I flew into the guardroom on the left of the entrance by the gateway in the place Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois. The news of the discharge of the ministers was already known and had produced its effect. Every one looked as though he were walking upon a volcano. I saw Adjutant Richy go up to Bastide and whisper something into his ear. "Impossible!" exclaimed Bastide. "See for yourself, then," Richy added. Bastide went out hurriedly and, almost immediately after, we heard him shout: "Help, men of the Third Artillery!" But before he had time to cross the threshold of the guardroom he had climbed over the park chains and was making straight for a group of men, who, in spite of the sentry's orders, had got into the enclosure reserved for the guns. "Out of the park!" shrieked Bastide; "out of the park instantly or I will put my sword through the bodies of every one of you!" "Captain Bastide," said one of the men to whom he had addressed his threat, "I am Commandant Barré ..." "If you are the very devil himself it makes no difference! Our orders are that no one shall enter the park, so out you go!" "Excuse me," said Barré, "but I should much like to know who is in command here, you or I?" "Whoever is the stronger commands here at present.... I do not recognise you.... Help, artillerymen!" Fifty of us surrounded Bastide with poinards in hand. Several had found time to take their loaded muskets from their racks. Barré gave in to us. "What do you want?" he asked. "To take any gun that comes handiest and make it ready for firing!" exclaimed Bastide. We flung ourselves on the first that came; but, at the third revolution of the wheels, the washer broke and the wheel came off. "I want you to fetch me the linch-pins of the guns you have just carried off." "Really ..." "Those linch-pins, or, I repeat, I will pass my sword through your body!" Barré emptied a sack in which some ten linch-pins had been already put. We rushed at them and put our guns in order again. "Good," said Bastide. "Now, out of the park!" Every one of them went out and Barré went straight off to offer his command to Comte Pernetti, who declined to take it.