. A life of Napoleon Boneparte:. hem from towers, roofs, win-dows, even the cellars, that they were obliged to retire. Ex-asperated by this stubborn resistance they resolved to blowup the town, inch by inch. The siege was begun in the mostterrible and destructive manner, but the people were un-moved by the danger. While a house was being mined,and the dull sound of the rammers warned them that deathwas at hand, not one left the house which he had sworn todefend, and we could hear them singing litanies. Then, atthe moment the walls flew into the air and fell back with acrash, crushing the great
. A life of Napoleon Boneparte:. hem from towers, roofs, win-dows, even the cellars, that they were obliged to retire. Ex-asperated by this stubborn resistance they resolved to blowup the town, inch by inch. The siege was begun in the mostterrible and destructive manner, but the people were un-moved by the danger. While a house was being mined,and the dull sound of the rammers warned them that deathwas at hand, not one left the house which he had sworn todefend, and we could hear them singing litanies. Then, atthe moment the walls flew into the air and fell back with acrash, crushing the greater part of them, those who had es-caped would collect about the ruins, and sheltering them-selves behind the slightest cover, would recommence theirsharpshooting. Marshal Lannes commanded before Saragossa. Touchedby the devotion and the heroism of the defenders, he pro-posed an honorable capitulation. The besieged scorned theproposition, and the awful process of undermining went onuntil the town was practically blown to BERNADOTTE. ABOUT 1798. Engraved by Fiesinger, after Guerin. 20S DISASTER IN SPAIN 209 For such resistance there was no end but the first time in his career Napoleon had met subhmepopular patriotism, a passion before which diplomacy, flat-tery, love of gain, force, lose their power. It was for but a short time that the emperor could givehis personal attention to the Spanish war. Certain wheelsin his great machine were not revolving smoothly. In hisown capital, Paris, there was friction among certain influen-tial persons. The peace of the Continent, necessary to thePeninsular war, and which Alexander had guaranteed, wasthreatened. Under these circumstances it was impossibleto remain in Spain.
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