The soldiers to whom this work was assigned arrived in columns; at the sound of an officer's whistle a certain number of men left the ranks and smashed in the doors of the houses and the shop-fronts; then others came who started the fires with grenades and fuses; lastly, the patrols who followed fired incendiary projectiles into those buildings which did not take fire quickly enough. [Illustration: COURT OF JUSTICE BEFORE THE WAR] The above view was taken during the German occupation. It shows the Red Cross staff conveying the wounded from the overflowing hospital to the College of Saint-Vincent. [Illustration: RUINS AT THE CORNER OF THE RUE DU TEMPLE] _After crossing the Nonette, one arrives at the junction of the Rue de la République and the Rue Vieille-de-Paris._ _At the corner stands the inn "+Le Débit Simon+," of which a view is given below._ Simon was without doubt the first victim of the German occupation. Tn the middle of the afternoon a German patrol, who had just been drinking at the inn, was shot at by a French rearguard, who had left Simon's a few moments before. [Illustration: DÉBIT SIMON (SIMON'S INN) THE PROPRIETOR WAS KILLED BY THE GERMANS] The Germans immediately seized the innkeeper, accused him of having fired, and shot him point-blank. Other pretended reprisals were made, causing the death of twenty unoffending civilians, of which the reader will learn the details further on. The view below shows the corner of the Place Saint-Martin where stands the Café Simon. Two German cyclists are seen in the photograph, which was taken on September 4, 1914. It will be noticed that the one on the left has a lady's bicycle, which certainly did not come out of the Army stores! [Illustration: GERMAN CYCLISTS PLACE SAINT-MARTIN] [Illustration: RUINS FAUBOURG ST. MARTIN] [Illustration: BURNT BUILDING 17, FAUBOURG ST. MARTIN] _Following the Rue du Faubourg St. Martin shown above_, the tourist will pass a pretty estate (_view below_), the old quarters of the Gardes du Corps, which was completely burnt and the ruins of which produce a startling effect. In front, partly burnt, are the headquarters of the Cavalry. Still further on, at the exit of the town, is the +Hospital+. It was there that the battle raged most fiercely. The German advance-guards, beating back the French soldiers delayed in the Faubourg St. Martin, were met by the fire of the machine-guns stationed outside the town, along the road. [Illustration: EQUIPMENTS ABANDONED DURING THE BATTLE] The Germans penetrated into the hospital and the neighbouring gardens, trying to outflank the French defences which they thought were placed on the road, but a deadly fire from the transverse trenches made them fall back. Furious at this, they seized the passers-by and made them walk in the middle of the road, they themselves keeping close to the walls. [Illustration: MARKS OF GERMAN BULLETS IN THE HOSPITAL]