Frightful as the day had been, the night was yet more hideous; since to
the horrors which were seen was added the greater horror of deeds which
might be committed in the darkness; or, if they were seen, it was by the
lurid glare of burning buildings,--the red flames of which--flung upon
the stained and brutal faces, the torn and tattered garments, of men and
women who danced and howled around the scene of ruin they had
caused--made the whole aspect of affairs seem more like a gathering of
fiends rejoicing in Pandemonium than aught with which creatures of flesh
and blood had to do.
Standing on some elevated point, looking over the great city, which
presented, as usual, at night, a solemn and impressive show, the
spectator was thrilled with a fearful admiration by the sights and
sounds which gave to it a mysterious and awful interest. A thousand
fires streamed up against the sky, making darkness visible; and from all
sides came a combination of noises such as might be heard from an
asylum in which were gathered the madmen of the world.
The next morning's sun rose on a city which was ruled by a reign of
terror. Had the police possessed the heads of Hydra and the arms of
Briareus, and had these heads all seen, these arms all fought, they
would have been powerless against the multitude of opposers. Outbreaks
were made, crowds gathered, houses burned, streets barricaded, fights
enacted, in a score of places at once.
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