French and English: A Story of the Struggle in America

by Evelyn Everett-Green

  Book 6: Without Quebec.

  Chapter 1: In Sight Of His Goal.

  Wolfe stood rapt in thought beside the batteries upon Point Levi.From his own camp at the Montmorency falls he had come over in aboat to visit Brigadier Moncton's camp, opposite the city ofQuebec; and now he stood surveying the town--and the havoc wroughtupon its buildings by his cannon--with a glass at his eye, a lookof great thoughtfulness and care stamped upon his thin face.

  Near at hand, ready to answer if addressed, was Brigadier Moncton,a brave and capable officer; and a little farther off, alsowatching the General and the scene spread out before him, stood alittle group of three, who had come across with Wolfe in the boat,and who were, in fact, none other than our old friends, FritzNeville, Julian Dautray, and Humphrey Angell.

  It had been an immense joy to these three men to meet together inthe camp of Wolfe round about Quebec. Julian had accompanied theexpedition from England, Fritz had joined Admiral Durell'scontingent whilst it was waiting for junction with the fleet fromEngland, and Humphrey had come to join them in the transport shipsfrom New York, bringing news of friends in Philadelphia, where hehad passed a portion of the time of waiting.

  Now these three comrades, so long parted, and now brought togetherby the chances of war, were almost inseparable. Wolfe had appointedthem posts about his own person, having taken for Fritz almost thesame warm liking that he had from the first felt towards Julian andHumphrey, and which, in the case of Julian, had ripened into a deepand ardent friendship.

  Whilst the young General was making his survey, rapt in thoughtswhich as yet he kept to himself, the three comrades spoke togetherof the war and the outlook.

  "It will be a hard nut to crack, this city of Quebec," saidHumphrey; "they were all saying that in Philadelphia as I left. Yetall men say that Quebec is the key of Canada. If that falls intoour hands, we shall be masters of the country."

  "And if our General has set his mind upon it, he will accomplishit," said Julian briefly.

  "He is a wonderful man," said Fritz, with a look of admirationdirected towards the tall, slim figure of the soldier; "would thathis body were as strong as his spirit! Sometimes when I look at himI fear that the blade is too keen for the scabbard. That ardentspirit will wear out the frail body."

  "That is the danger," said Julian gravely; "but it is wonderfulwhat he can compel that frail body to go through. He will rise froman almost sleepless night of pain and exhaustion, and do the workof a man in sound health, infusing life and energy and enthusiasminto everyone with whom he comes in contact! Truly the King's wordsabout him contained a great truth."

  "What words?" asked Fritz.

  "Why, you know that this Wolfe of ours is but a young man, gallantenough, but far younger and less known than many another of halfhis capacity. You know, too, that the Duke of Newcastle, to whoseblundering we owe half our misfortunes in the west, was never knownto make a wise selection of men for posts of command, and wasshocked and alarmed when he heard that Pitt had appointed acomparatively young and untried man for the command of such anexpedition as this. He once said testily to the King that Pitt'snew general was mad.

  "'Mad is he?' quoth His Majesty, with a laugh; 'then I hope he willbite some more of my generals!'"

  Fritz laughed at the sally.

  "In truth we could have done with some more of that sort of madnessamongst the leaders of those border wars which have ended sodisastrously for us. But in very truth the tide did turn, as theAbbe Messonnier had foretold, when Pitt's hand was placed upon thehelm of England's government. So much has been accomplished alreadythat I myself do not believe we shall turn our backs upon thesescenes before Quebec is ours."

  "That is what they say in Philadelphia," cried Humphrey--"thatQuebec must and shall fall. If General Amherst can but captureTiconderoga and Crown Point, he will march to our assistance byland. Then the French will be caught between two armies, and thenut will be cracked indeed! Did I tell you that our kinsmanBenjamin Ashley has declared that, directly Quebec falls, he willcome and visit the great city of which so much has been spoken, tosee for himself the great work? If he does this, he will bring hiswife and Susanna with him. You cannot think how keenly alive thePhiladelphians are becoming to the glory it will be to rid Canadaof French rule, and found an English-speaking colony there. TheQuakers still stand aloof, and talk gloomily of the sin of warfare;but the rest of the people heed them no whit. They have furnishedand equipped a gallant band to join General Amherst, and they arekindling with a great enthusiasm in the cause. Even our old friendEbenezer Jenkyns has been talking great swelling words of warlikeimport. He would have joined the militia, he says, had not hisfather forbidden him."

  "It is well they have awoke at last," said Fritz, a little grimly;"but it would have been better had they done so before their borderwas harried, and their brothers and countrymen done to death by thebands of Indian marauders."

  At which saying Humphrey's face grew dark; for there was stampedupon his brain one scene the memory of which would never beeffaced, though it should be a thousandfold avenged.

  "I would that Charles could have lived to see the day when theEnglish should enter the city of Quebec!"

  He spoke beneath his breath; but Fritz heard him, and answered withthoughtful gravity:

  "Perhaps it were not true kindness to wish him back. His death blowwas struck when his wife and children perished. The days whichremained to him were days of sorrow and pain. The light of hislife, the desire of his eyes, had been taken away. He lived but foran act of vengeance, and when that was accomplished, I believe hewould have faded out of life had it not been that his own life wasextinguished at the same time as that of his foe."

  Humphrey made a silent sign of assent. He could not speak much evenyet of the tragic fate of his brother, or of the events which hadled to it. Fritz turned the subject by speaking of John Stark andthe Rangers, asking Humphrey what had been known of them since thebreaking-up of the band after the disaster of Ticonderoga.

  "I saw Stark," answered Humphrey eagerly. "Have I not told youbefore? Ah well, we have not much time for talking these busy days.Yes, I saw Stark; he came to visit his kinsfolk of the inn when Iwas in Philadelphia. He has gone now with Amherst's party. He willjoin Rogers, I suppose; and, doubtless, the Rangers will again dogood service, as they do everywhere. He was in half a mind to comenorth with the expedition for Quebec, but decided that he would beof more use in country every foot of which was familiar to him. Buthe declared that, if once Ticonderoga were to fall, he would bringus the news faster than any other messenger. How he will come, andby what route, I know not; but this I know, that if there is avictory for English arms yonder in the west, and if John Stark benot killed, the sight of his face amongst us here will be the signto us that the victory has been won."

  "And right welcome will be the sight of his face," cried Fritz, "behis news what it may. John Stark is one of the best and bravest menI know. I have told our General many a tale of him and his prowess.Wolfe will have a welcome for him if he ever appears here."

  Wolfe seemed to have finished his survey. He took the glass fromhis eye and looked round him. Moncton was at his side in a moment.He, in common with all who fought with and under him, had a greatadmiration for the gallant young General.

  "Moncton," said Wolfe, in a voice loud enough for the other threeto hear plainly, "I want to get some ships past the city into theupper reach of the river. The French General will not fight. I givehim chance after chance against me, but he does not take it. Hethinks a waiting game will serve his turn best, and perhaps he isright. But we must leave no stone unturned to harass and perplexhim. I want a footing in the upper reach of the river. I want toget some vessels past the town."

  Moncton drew his lips together in a silent whistle.

  "Will not the town batteries sink them like logs as they pass?" heasked.

  "They will, if they see them. They have left the river free ofvessels; they trust entirely to their guns. But our sailors havedone b
older deeds before this than the passing of some batteriesupon a dark night. If you were to cover their advance by a furiouscannonade upon the town, do you not think we could slip a few pastthose frowning batteries, and make a new basis of operations forourselves in the upper reach of the river, above the town?"

  Moncton's eyes glistened. It was a daring project, but it was notwithout promise of success. Such things might be done, and yetthere was serious risk.

  "It will weaken us in one way," pursued Wolfe, speaking in hisquiet, meditative fashion. "As it is, we are divided into threecamps--one here, one at Montmorency, and one on the Isle ofOrleans. If we carry out this plan, we shall be divided into four;and should any pressing danger menace any one of those four camps,it might be some while before assistance could be sent. And yet Iam more than half disposed to try. Montcalm does not appear to haveany intention of attacking us. And if we weaken ourselves, we shallalso weaken him by this movement. At present he is concentratinghis whole strength in and below the city. If we get a footing onthe upper river, he will have to send a contingent there to watchus. Whether we have any reasonable hope of getting at the city inthat way, I cannot yet tell; I know too little of the character ofthe ground. But at least we shall have won a strategic victory ingetting our ships past the guns of Quebec; and we shall causeconsternation and alarm there, even if nothing else."

  "I will cover the movement with all the power of my guns," criedMoncton eagerly; "and if the thing can be done, our sailors will doit; they are in no whit afraid of the enemy's guns. And look--ifthe ships get through, why not let our red-coats and blue-jacketsdrag a fleet of boats across the base of this Point Levi, along thelow ground yonder, and launch them in the river above, where theycan join the ships and bring them reinforcements of men? Then weshall have means of transporting men and provisions to thesevessels, and the sight of them upon their upper river will furtherdishearten the citizens of Quebec, who have been very well punishedalready by our guns."

  "Yes," answered Wolfe. "I would sooner have shattered the citadelthan the houses and convents; but we must e'en do what we can inthis game of war. But your idea is excellent, Moncton. If the shipssucceed in making the passage, the boats shall certainly be broughtacross, as you suggest. It will be a strategic triumph for us, eventhough we do not reap immediate fruit from it. And if once Amherstcan march to join us, it will be everything to have shipping in theupper river."

  "And you are hopeful that he will?"

  "If he can make good his position upon the lakes and in the west. Ihave information that things are going well for us there; but sofar no definite news of the capture of Ticonderoga has reached us.It is rumoured that Niagara is attacked, and is likely to pass intoour hands. There is no doubt that the French all along the westernboundary are in extremity. If Quebec goes, all will go; they willhave no heart to hold out. But, on the other hand, if we are beatenhere, and are forced to retreat unsuccessfully, it will have agreat moral effect throughout Canada."

  "Canada is becoming very half-hearted towards its French masters,"said Moncton. "We hear a good deal from prisoners brought to thecamp by our scouts. We had one brought in the other day--a cunningold rascal, but by no means reticent when we had plied him withport wine. He said that they were sick to death of the struggle,and only wished it over one way or the other. They would be gladenough to stand neutral, and serve either French or Englishaccording as the victory went; but their priests threaten them withspiritual terrors if they do not fight for the cause of HolyChurch, as they term it, whilst the military authorities threatenthem with the Indians, and we, on the other side, with thedestruction of their farms and houses if they interfere in any waywith us. Their case is certainly a hard one."

  "It is," answered Wolfe; "but, all the same, I am not going topermit any infringement of the orders I have laid down. If thepeople will stand neutral or help us, they shall have protectionand all reasonable help if the Indians attack them; but if theyprefer to obey their French masters or their priestly tyrants, andharry and worry us, I keep my word, and I send out harrying partiesto drive off their cattle and bring themselves prisoners to ourcamps. No violence shall be done them; no church shall be violated;not a finger shall be laid upon any woman or child. If outrages arecommitted by my soldiers, the men shall instantly be hanged orshot. But I will have no infringement of my commands. What I say Imean. I have posted up my intentions. The people know what theyhave to expect. The free choice is theirs. If they will not takethe offered protection, they must abide by the consequences."

  Inflexible firmness was written upon the thin face of the youngGeneral. Cruelty was abhorrent to him whatever form it took; but hecould be stern and rigorous in the prosecution of any plan whichhad been adopted after careful consideration. He knew that thegreatest blessing to the Canadians would be the termination of thislong and wearing war. From his heart he believed that transferencefrom French to English rule would be the happiest possible changeof fortune for them. Therefore he did not shrink from any measureswhich should tend to bring about this consummation; and whilstgiving them every opportunity to save themselves and their propertyby aiding or at least not interfering with or opposing hismeasures, he made it abundantly plain that, if they persisted ininimical courses, they would be treated as enemies.

  The idea of effecting a passage of the city and forming a camp, orat least a flotilla, above the town was a matter which affordedmuch discussion and excitement throughout the English ranks. Thedaring of it appealed to all hearts, and the sailors when theyheard it were keen for the enterprise, confident of success wereonly a dark night to be chosen for the attempt. Old Killick, withhis hands in his pockets, rolled up and down his deck, chewing aquid of tobacco, and giving his opinions on the subject.

  "Pass Quebec! bless you, my dears, I'll undertake to pass the townguns any hour of the day or night you like to send me. What a routthey did make, to be sure, about their old river! They make justsuch a rout about their precious guns! What English ship everfeared to pass a French battery yet? Give me a capful of wind, andI'll undertake to get my boat past whilst the Frenchies are tryingto get their guns pointed low enough to sink me! The soldiers havebeen having their turn for a bit; it's time we had one now. We'vehad nothing to amuse us since those pretty fireworks the Frenchieswere kind enough to get up for us the other week! Oh that theyshould think to scare us with such toys as that! Oh my, what foolssome men can be!"

  With Wolfe resolution was speedily followed by action. No soonerhad he made up his mind what he meant to do than preparations wereinstantly set on foot. He came down in person to inspect the fleet,and discuss with the Admirals what ships should be chosen for theservice. Finally, the Sutherland was selected as the ship to runthe gauntlet, on account of her sailing capacities and theexcellence of her sailing master and crew. A frigate was toaccompany her, and several smaller vessels, one of which, to hisgreat satisfaction, was Killick's; and he was permitted to lead theway, as his shrewdness and skill in nautical matters were wellknown throughout the fleet.

  Colonel Carleton, a promising and experienced officer, was incharge of the troops. But Wolfe himself could not be far away. Hewas to watch everything from Point Levi, and in the event ofsuccess to superintend the passage overland of the flotilla ofboats; and in one of these he purposed himself to join theexpedition in the upper river, and make a careful survey of thedefences there.

  Dearly would he have liked to make one of the daring party who wereto run the gauntlet of the French batteries, but he knew hisresponsibilities as General of the forces too well to exposehimself rashly where he could not take the lead. He must trust tothe sailors for this thing; his turn would come later.

  All was in readiness. The selected vessels were lying at anchor,ready to loose from their moorings when the sun had sunk. Wolfe inhis light boat, managed by Humphrey and Fritz, had made a tour ofinspection, and was now speeding across the water towards PointLevi, up the heights of which several additional powerful guns hadbeen carried earlier in the day to ass
ist in the cannonade plannedfor the night.

  Little was spoken by the General or his subordinates. Wolfe hadbeen suffering much during the past days from acute rheumatism, andfrom the inward malady which gave him little rest night or day. Hisface looked very thin and drawn, but the fire in his eyes wasunquenchable, and it was plain that his mind was not with himself,but with the enterprise, carefully thought out and courageouslyplanned, which was to be attempted that night.

  "Take me as near to the town batteries as is safe," he said; andthe boat's head was directed towards the northern shore.

  "I believe it will be done," he said, after a keen inspection ofthe batteries through his glass. "The guns are almost all pointedtowards Point Levi. If the ships make good way with wind and tide,as they should, they will glide so fast along that, even ifsighted, they will almost have passed before the guns can bedepressed sufficiently to be dangerous."

  Then they made for Point Levi, and Wolfe stepped ashore, to bereceived by Moncton, who escorted him to the batteries to see theirpreparations. The three friends, released from attendance upon him,took up a position from which they could command a view of whatpassed, in so far as the darkness of night should permit them anyview. A pall of cloud hung in the sky, and the shades of eveningfell early. Yet it seemed long to the anxious watchers before thedarkness blotted out the view of the distant city, and of thepanorama of dancing water beneath.

  Generally the guns from Point Levi boomed all day, but were silentat night, leaving the camp to repose. But though they had ceased tofire at sundown, darkness had no sooner fallen than the iron mouthsopened in a prolonged and terrific roar, a blaze of yellow lightglowed along the batteries, and the watchers from the strand heardthe huge shells screaming overhead as they hurtled through the air,carrying with them their terrible messages of death anddestruction.

  The noise was terrific; the sight was terrible in its fiercegrandeur. The three companions had seen many strange and fearfulthings during the past years, but perhaps they had never beforebeen quite so near to a battery spouting out its leaden rain ingreat broad flashes of lambent flame.

  Julian and Fritz could not turn their eyes from the magnificentsight; but Humphrey, after one glance, turned his upon the darkwaterway, and it was his voice that spoke at last in accents ofkeen emotion.

  "Here come the ships."

  The others could not see for a while--their eyes were dazzled; andin the roar and rattle of artillery overhead nothing could be heardof the silent advance of those darkened hulls as they slipped likeghosts through the water. They were as close to the south bank asit was safe to keep, and followed Killick's sloop with as muchprecision as possible. The strong tide beneath them, and the light,favouring wind, bore them past at a rate that the spectators hadscarcely expected. They could just descry the dark, looming objectsgliding swiftly and silently along. But would the gunners in Quebecsee them? The onlookers held their breath as the phantom shipssailed upon their way. They were passing the blazing batteries now,and the cannonade was more furious than ever. The guns of Quebecwere blazing back. But was the fire directed only at the oppositeheights? or had the flitting sails been seen, and would the ironrain pour upon the gallant vessels making the daring passage?

  Fritz felt such an oppression upon his heart that he could scarcedraw his breath; but moments came and moments went, and the shipsglided unharmed upon their way. They had all passed the batteriesnow. They were in the very narrowest part of the channel, justwhere the town batteries commanded the passage. Humphrey couldstand it no longer.

  "To the boat," he cried, "to the boat! yonder she lies! Let usfollow and make sure, and bring the General word!"

  In a moment the three had rushed down, and were running their boatinto the water. Next minute the sail was up, and the light littlecraft was cutting through the black river at a gallant pace. Nowshe had caught up the last of the silent string of daring cruisers;now she was gliding by the large warship. All was safe, all wassilent on the water; only overhead the hurtling bombs and ballsroared and boomed. The gunners of Quebec had not sighted thestealthy ships. The town knew nothing of what was being done undercover of that furious cannonade. And now the batteries had beensafely passed; the lights of the town upon the right were beginningto fade in the distance.

  A sudden rift in the clouds let through a glancing beam ofmoonlight, which fell full upon the figure of old Killick as hestood upon the forecastle of his vessel, preparing to let down theanchor as arranged when a safe place had been found. The oldsea-dog had convoyed the party as cleverly as he had navigated thedangerous channel of the Traverse. He pulled out his batteredsou'wester and waved it in the direction of Quebec.

  "Bless you, my dears! how well you do sleep! You ought to be soundand hearty, I'm sure. Good luck to you, every man of you at theguns! Bless my soul! if I were the Markiss of Montcalm, when Iawoke in the morning to see the English ships in the basin abovethe town, I'd hang every mother's son of them each to his own gun!But poor fellows, it would be hard to blame them. They can't helpbeing born Frenchmen and fools after all!"

  A laugh and a cheer from those who heard greeted old Killick'ssally; and Humphrey, quickly turning round the prow of the boat,sent her speeding back to Point Levi, to bring certain tidings ofthe success to Wolfe.