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French and English by Evelyn Everett Green

E >> Evelyn Everett Green >> French and English




So Fritz became the guest of Madame Drucour in the narrow little
stone house; the Abbe likewise remained as an inmate whilst he
recruited the health that had been so sorely tried and shattered of
late. Fritz was in no haste to depart, if his hosts desired his
presence there. He would join the English fleet when it appeared;
but it mattered little to him how he passed the intervening time.
He could pass as well for a Frenchman as an Englishman, and did so
for the time he remained in the city; but he kept his eyes open,
and took careful note of what he saw, and, in truth, it seemed to
him that the English fleet had little or no chance of effecting any
landing in or near Quebec.

The fortifications of the town were immensely strong; so was its
position--so commandingly situated upon the little tongue of land.
There was a small camp upon the opposite point of land, which might
perhaps be strengthened with advantage; but the whole of the north
bank of the river was being fortified and intrenched, and was
manned by regulars and Canadian troops, all well armed and
munitioned. It was impossible to see how any attacking force could
obtain a foothold upon that strand; and if Fritz's hosts took care
to let him see all this, it seemed to him a proof that they well
understood the impregnable character of their position.

But it was no part of Fritz's plan to linger over long in Quebec,
although he was wishful to see the city for himself, and to judge
of the strength of its position. He knew that the fleet from
Louisbourg would be hanging about nearer the mouth of the great
estuary, and to a traveller of his experience the journey either by
land or water was a mere trifle.

Any day the sails of the English vessels might be expected to
appear. The seething excitement in the city, and the eager and
laborious preparations upon land, showed how public feeling was
being aroused. It might not be well for Fritz to linger much
longer. If his real connection with the English were discovered, he
might find himself in difficulties.

"I have arranged with a boatman to take you down the river tonight,
Monsieur," said Madame Drucour to him; when he had expressed a
determination to leave. "He is scouting for information as to the
English fleet, and we have heard that vessels have been seen in the
region of the Isle-aux-Coudres. He will land you there, and you
will then have no difficulty in rejoining your countrymen. If
Monsieur Wolfe has arrived, pray give him my best compliments, and
tell him that I hope his health is improved, and that if we should
meet once again it will be as friends."

"I will not forget to do so, Madame," answered Fritz. "I myself
look forward with pleasure to making the acquaintance of that great
soldier. I should not have dared to think that I might approach him
myself; but since Julian is his friend, I shall not be denied his
presence."

Corinne was listening to the talk with eager interest; now she
broke in with a smile:

"And tell Monsieur Julian that if he should repeat his strategy of
Louisbourg here at Quebec, and steal into the city in disguise, I
hope he will come to see us here. We are very well disposed towards
the English, my aunt and I. We should have a welcome for him, and
would see that he came to no harm."

Madame Drucour laughed, and patted the cheek of her niece.

"Make no rash promises, little one. The game of war is a fiercer
and more deadly and dangerous one than thou canst realize as yet.
It may be our privilege to shelter and succour a hunted foe; but
tempt not any man to what might be certain destruction. Spies meet
with scant mercy; and there are Indians in this city who know not
the meaning of mercy, and have eyes and ears quicker and keener
than our own. Monsieur and his friends had better now remain
without the city walls, unless the day should come when they can
enter them as conquerors and masters of all."

She drew herself together and gave a little, quick, shuddering
sigh, as though realizing as those never could do who had not seen
war what must inevitably be ere such an end could be accomplished.

Fritz took her hand and carried it to his lips.

"If such a day as that come, Madame," he said, "be very sure that
my first duty and privilege will be to protect you and yours from
harm. Adieu; and if I can ever repay your kindness to me, be sure
the opportunity shall not be neglected."



Chapter 2: The Defences Of Quebec.


Excitement reigned in the city. There had been a cry of fear
earlier in the day. Men had rushed through the streets, crying
aloud in every tone of consternation:

"The English fleet! the English fleet!"

But this had proved a false alarm. The sails seen advancing up the
great waterway were those of friendly vessels, laden with
provisions for the city, and great rejoicings were held as the
supplies were carried into the storehouses by the eager citizens
and soldiers. Colin, running hither and thither picking up news,
came running back at short intervals with tidings for his sister
and aunt.

"They all say the English fleet has sailed from England, and may be
here any day; but at least we shall not starve yet. We have a fine
consignment of provisions brought in today."

Next time he came he had another item of information to give.

"Our General, Monsieur de Montcalm, met me in the street just now,
and bid me say that he purposed to take his supper with us this
evening, as there are certain matters he would discuss with my
uncle, and with you, dear aunt, who have seen so much of warfare.
He asked me if it would be convenient for you to receive him, and I
said I was sure that it would."

"Quite right, my child," answered Madame Drucour; "I shall deem it
an honour to entertain the brave Marquis. I have a great respect
for him, both as a man and a soldier."

"Yes: they all speak well of him, and they say that the Governor,
Vaudreuil, treats him shamefully, or at least traduces him
shamefully behind his back to the Government in France. He is
jealous because Monsieur de Montcalm is so much better a soldier
than he. His jealousy is mean and pitiful. I hear things that make
my blood boil!"

"Yes: Monsieur de Montcalm has had to exercise great patience and
self restraint. We all honour him for it," said the Abbe, looking
up from his breviary. "His has been a difficult post from first to
last, and he has filled it with marked ability. The Governor seeks
to take to himself all the credit of success throughout the colony
and the war, and to heap upon Montcalm all the blame wherever there
has been discomfiture and defeat; but from what I can learn, the
Minister of France is not deceived. The powers of the campaign are
vested mainly in the hands of the General of the forces, let the
Governor rage as he will."

Colin and Corinne stood at the window watching the hubbub down in
the lower town and along the quays. They could obtain a fair view
from the upper window, where the girl spent so much of her time;
and whilst the Abbe and Madame Drucour talked of public matters and
the political outlook, Colin poured broadsides of information into
the ears of his sister.

"They say that the English ships can never navigate the waters of
this great river!" he cried. "I was talking with the sailors on the
vessels which have come in. They dare not bring their own ships up
without a pilot on board. If the English try to sail their great
battleships up through the shoals and other perils, they will
assuredly, say the men, run them upon the jagged edges of the
sunken reefs and wreck them hopelessly. I was telling them that the
English are better sailors than ever the French will be; but they
only laughed grimly, and bid them come and see what their sailor
craft could do without pilots in the mouth of the St. Lawrence. I
should grieve if the noble vessels were wrecked and stranded in the
Traverse, which they say is the most dangerous part of all. But the
sailors are very confident that that is what will happen."

"I don't believe it!" cried Corinne, with flashing eyes. "The
English have always been masters of the sea; have they not won
themselves the name of 'sea dogs' and 'sea rovers' even from their
enemies? The walls and guns of Quebec may prove too much for them,
but not the navigation of the St. Lawrence."

"So I think," answered Colin eagerly; "but that is what the men
say.

"The French are always something overconfident and boastful, I
think," said Corinne gravely. "They like to win their battles
before they fight them, and beat back the foe before he appears.
But we shall see--we shall see."

Colin and Corinne were both much interested in the General of the
forces, Monsieur the Marquis of Montcalm. In addition to being a
very excellent soldier--brave, capable, merciful, and modest--he
was a very delightful and charming companion in any social
gathering; and towards Corinne he showed himself especially tender,
telling her, with the tears standing in his eyes, how much she
reminded him of the little daughter he had left at home, Mirete;
whom he feared he should never see again.

"For my aide-de-camp, M. de Bougainville, lately returned from
France, has brought me sad news. One of my daughters has died--he
could not ascertain which; but I feel sure it is my little Mirete,
who was always delicate and fragile. I loved her very much; she was
such a clinging little thing, and had soft brown eyes like yours,
my dear. I did not think, when I left my wife and children in our
happy home at Candiac, that I should be detained here so long, or
that death would have visited my house ere I returned. We were so
happy in that far away home in France; my thoughts are ever turning
back thither. Pray Heaven I may soon bring this war to a successful
termination, and may then return to end my days in peace in that
fair spot, surrounded by those I love so well!"

This little speech touched Corinne's heart, and she lifted her face
and gave the bereaved father a kiss of sympathy, the tears hanging
upon her own long lashes. He squeezed her hand and returned the
salute with warmth. Yet the next minute he was the soldier and the
general all over, as he seated himself at table and proceeded to
discuss the situation of affairs with the Abbe and his hostess.

"My policy," he explained to them, "will be one of defence, not of
attack. What we must set ourselves to do is to prevent any landing
of English troops upon the north bank of this river anywhere near
the city. I had thought at first of making the Plains of Abraham,
behind the city, the basis of my encampment. But this, as you know,
has been given up, and the north bank of the river, through
Beauport and right away to the river and falls of the Montmorency,
has been selected.

"When you are sufficiently recovered, my friend, I should like to
take you to see our position. Our right rests upon the St. Charles,
our left upon the Montmorency. Quebec is thus secured from any
advance by land. Her own guns must protect her from any attempt by
sea. No vessel should or ought to pass the rock without being
instantly disabled, if not sunk. By disposing our forces in this
way, and remaining upon the defensive, we shall have our foes in a
vice, so to speak. The risk of disembarking and trying to fight us
will be immense. They will lose ten men to our one in every
encounter. And if we can play this waiting game long enough, the
storms of winter will come down upon us, and the Admirals will have
to withdraw their fleet to some safe harbourage, and we shall have
saved Quebec!"

"Yes," said the Abbe--"that sounds a wise and wary policy; but will
the Canadian militia be patient and obedient during the long period
of inaction? They are accustomed to a sort of fierce, short forest
warfare, quick marches, hand-to-hand fights, and the freedom to
return to their homes. How will they like the long imprisonment in
the camp, without being brought face to face with the foe? The
Canadian soldiers have always given trouble; I fear they will do so
again."

"If they become troublesome," said Montcalm, with a tightening of
the lips, "they will be told that the Indians shall be loosed upon
their lands and farms to harry and destroy! Mutineers are accorded
scant mercy. Monsieur de Vaudreuil has made up his mind how to deal
with them in such case."

The Abbe stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"If we alienate the Canadians, and have only the regulars to fall
back upon, we shall be very short handed."

"True; but I do not anticipate such a contingency. The Canadians
are no more desirous of seeing England's flag waving over their
lands than we are ourselves. They may be rebellious and
discontented, but they will hardly go further than that."

"It is ill work fighting with discontented soldiers," said Madame
Drucour thoughtfully.

"Very true, Madame. I often wish we had better material for our
army. I abhor the Indians, and distrust the Canadians. But what can
we do? France has sore need of all her soldiers for her European
wars. What can she do for us here out in the western wilds? She has
her hands full at home."

"And yet," said the Abbe, "if she loses her hold upon these same
western wilds, she will lose that new kingdom upon which her eyes
have been greedily fastened for two centuries or more. She has
claimed half the world as her own; will she lose all for the sake
of some petty quarrel with her neighbours?"

Montcalm smiled and slowly shook his head.

"Our royal master has his hands something too full at times," he
said; "yet we will do our best for him out here."

"And if General Amherst with his great army should succeed in
capturing Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and should advance upon us
by the interior, and steal upon us from behind, what then?" asked
the Abbe, who, having come from that part of the world, and knowing
the apprehensions of the French along the western border, was not
unmindful of this possible danger.

Montcalm's face was grave.

"That will be our greatest danger," he said. "If that should take
place, we shall have to weaken our camp along the river and send
reinforcements to the small detachments now placed along the upper
river. But the English were routed at Ticonderoga once; let us hope
it will happen so a second time."

"General Amherst is a very different commander from General
Abercromby," said the Abbe gravely; and Madame Drucour added her
testimony to the abilities of the General who had commanded at the
siege of Louisbourg, although the dash and energy of Wolfe had been
one of the main elements of strength to the besiegers.

"Yet I have confidence in our good Boulamaque," answered Montcalm.
"He will do all that can he done to check the advance of the
invaders and hold out fortresses against them. We have had our
disasters--far be it from me to deny it--but Ticonderoga is strong,
and has long held her own; I think she will do so once again."

"And will you remain within the walls of Quebec yourself, my dear
Marquis? or is it true what I hear--that your headquarters will be
with the camp at Beauport?"

"My place is here--there--everywhere!" answered Montcalm, with a
smile and a meaning gesture. "Within the city the Chevalier de
Ramesay will hold command with sixteen thousand men. For my part, I
shall occupy myself chiefly with the army along the river banks.
The first peril will certainly lie there. The town is unassailable,
but a landing will probably be attempted somewhere along there. The
enemy must be driven back with loss and confusion each time such an
attempt is made. That will discourage them, and inspire our men
with hope and courage. We have also prepared fire ships at no small
cost, to be launched and fired at convenient seasons, and sent
adrift amongst the enemy's ships. The sight of their burning
vessels will do something to discourage the English. They put their
trust in their ships. We will show them what a warm welcome we have
waiting for them here!"

"And our own vessels," asked the Abbe--"what of them? Will any
naval battle he attempted?"

"No. The Governor has given orders that they shall disembark their
men for the defence of the town, and the ships themselves will be
sent some distance up the river out of harm's way. We have kept
some of the best for fire ships; the rest will remain at a
distance, beyond the river Richelieu."

"You think, then, that no British ship can pass the guns of the
town?"

Montcalm's face was a study of calm confidence.

"I only wish they might attempt it," he said. "We would sink them
one by one, as a child's boats could be sunk by throwing stones
upon them. The English have a task before them the magnitude of
which they have little idea of. First they have the river itself to
navigate; then they have the guns of Quebec to settle with. Let
them take their choice between Scylla and Charybdis; for of a
certainty they lie betwixt the two."

Indeed the guns of Quebec were formidable enough. Next day Montcalm
took Madame Drucour and her niece and nephew a tour of inspection
about the town, and up to one of the heights which gave them a
panoramic view of the city and its defences, both within and
without. The batteries of the town bristled with formidable guns;
the town itself swarmed with soldiers--regulars, militia, Indians.
From the adjacent country men of all ages had come flocking in,
eager to bear arms against the foe. The Bishop had issued a mandate
to his flock, urging them to rally round their leaders, and never
surrender the fair domain of Canada to the heretic usurper.

There was plenty of enthusiasm now amongst the Canadians they came
flocking into the camp in great numbers. All were hardy fellows,
trained to a certain sort of rough fighting from their very
childhood. They were invaluable in forest warfare, as had been
proved again and again. But they lacked the stamina of the regular
soldier. They were invariably unsteady when exposed to fire in the
open, and they were impatient of discipline and control. Vaudreuil
was always loud in their praise, trying to give them the credit of
every successful engagement. But Montcalm reposed much more
confidence in his regular soldiers; although he gave these others
their due when they had proved of service to him.

It was a wonderful sight to see the lines of defence stretching
right away from the river St. Charles, close to the promontory on
which Quebec was built, to that other invisible gorge where the
wonderful cataract of the Montmorency flung its waters into the
greater St. Lawrence below. Opposite was the height of Point Levi,
with its smaller batteries; and away on the left, in the middle of
the vast, sea-like river, could be distinguished the western end of
the Isle of Orleans.

Earthworks, batteries, redoubts seemed to bristle every where.
Squadrons of men, like brilliant-hued ants, moved to and fro upon
the plains below. The tents of the camp stretched out in endless
white spots; and the river was dotted with small craft of all sorts
conveying provisions to the camp, and doing transport duty of all
kinds.

"He will be a bold man who faces the fire from our batteries, I
think," said Montcalm, looking with a calm complacency upon the
animated scene; and then he turned and pointed backwards behind him
to Cape Diamond, fringed with its palisades and capped by parapet
and redoubt.

A bold foe indeed to face the perils frowning from every height
upon which the eye could rest. Madame Drucour's face slowly
brightened as she took in, with eyes that were experienced in such
matters, the full strength of the position occupied by the city of
Quebec.

"In truth, I scarce see how the enemy could effect a landing
anywhere--could even attempt it," she said. "And yet we said the
same at Louisbourg--till they landed where none of us thought they
could do, and took us in the rear!"

And her eyes sought the steep, precipitous banks of the river after
the town had been passed, as though asking whether any landing
could be effected there, if some ships should succeed in the daring
attempt to pass the guns of the town, and find anchorage in the
upper river.

Montcalm followed her glance with his, and seemed to read the
thought in her heart.

"All these heights will be watched," he said. "Although I have no
fear of any vessel being foolhardy enough to attempt the passage, or
clever enough to succeed in passing the guns of the fortifications,
I shall leave no point unwatched or unguarded. Quebec shall not
fall whilst I have life and breath! If the victor marches into the
city, it will be across my dead body!"

Later upon that very day a fresh excitement occurred. Madame
Drucour and her niece and nephew were in the pleasant upper room of
their house, talking over the things they had seen and heard that
day, when the clamour in the street below roused them to the
consciousness that something unwonted was afoot; and Colin ran
below, eager to know what the matter could be. In a few minutes he
returned, his face full of animation and eager interest.

"They have taken three prisoners!" he exclaimed--"English
midshipmen all of them. You know our boats are scouting all round
the Isle-aux-Coudres, where Durell and his contingent of ships from
Louisbourg are lying waiting for the English fleet."

"Yes, yes," cried Corinne eagerly; "we know that! But where are the
prisoners?"

"They are below, in the house. They brought them to the Abbe, our
uncle. They profess not to speak French, these lads, but I think
they understand it fast enough.

"Come down and hear their story, my aunt; and you also, Corinne.
They have been left in our care by the order of Monsieur de
Montcalm, that we may win from them all that they know, respecting
the strength of the English fleet. Let us go and hear what they
say."

"How came they to be taken?" asked Madame Drucour, as she rose to
accompany Colin.

"They were taken on shore. They had left their ship, perhaps
without leave, and were amusing themselves upon the island. The men
in our boat watched them, and presently landed cautiously and
surrounded them. They made a gallant struggle, but were captured at
length. And now they have been brought to us that we may get from
them all the information we can. Our uncle is talking to them even
now. I want to hear, and I want Corinne also to hear what they
say."

"And the poor lads will doubtless be hungry," said Madame Drucour,
always thoughtful for the comfort of others; "we will set food
before them as they talk. They shall see that we are not harsh
captors."

It was three bright-faced, bronzed English lads that they found in
the lower room with the good Abbe. He had induced the rest of the
people to disperse, and was now alone with the captives. The lads
seemed quite disposed to be talkative, and when the lady entered
bearing food, their eyes brightened; they stood up and made their
bows to all, and fell upon the victuals with a hearty goodwill.

"Strong! I should think it was strong," cried the eldest of the
three, in response to a question from the Abbe respecting the
English squadron on the way: "why, there are more than thirty ships
of the line, and with frigates, sloops-of-war, and transports they
must number over fifty. Then we have ten fine ships under Admiral
Durell, waiting to join the main fleet when it comes; and there is
another squadron under Admiral Holmes, which has gone to New York
to take up the troops mustered in New England for the reduction of
Quebec. Oh, it will be a grand sight, a grand sight, when it comes
sailing up the waters of the St. Lawrence! Quebec, I dare wager,
has never seen such a sight before!"

The faces of all the lads were full of animation and pride. They
appeared to have no fears for their personal safety. They were
enthusiastic in their descriptions of the wonderful feats which the
world would soon see, and when once started on the subject were
ready to talk on and on.

"They have fifteen or sixteen thousand men--picked troops--with the
gallant Wolfe in command," cried another. "You have seen something
already of what Wolfe can do when he is set upon a task!"

Madame Drucour made a little sign of assent; she had learned that
lesson herself very fully. The lad made her a courtly bow, for he
knew her well, having been at the siege of Louisbourg, and having
seen her when he had entered the fortress to view it after the
surrender.

"Madame Drucour is herself a soldier; she can appreciate the
talents of the soldiers," he said. "Well, we have Wolfe coming, and
with him three gallant Brigadiers--Moncton and Townshend and
Murray. They all say that each one of these is as valiant as the
great Wolfe himself, and as full of ardour."

"And then our guns!" chimed in the third. "Why, we have guns enough
to batter down these old walls as children batter down their card
houses! You know what English guns did at Louisbourg, Madame! Well,
we have bigger and heavier ones coming from England--such guns as
have never been seen in this country before; and such shells--why,
you can hear the scream of them for miles. You will hear them soon
singing and screaming over Quebec if you try to hold it against
Wolfe!"

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