ent voyage just as the clocks of the fortress
boomed out the midnight hour.

It was a strange, ghostly voyage. There was a moon in the sky
overhead, and the outlines of the hills and batteries, and even of
the fortress itself, could be distinguished wherever the ground
rose high enough; but wreaths of white vapour lay lazily along the
water, or seemed to curl slowly upwards like smoke from some fire,
and the boats rowed along in the encircling mist, only able to gain
glimpses from time to time of the moonlit world as a puff of wind
drove the vapour away from their path and gave them a transitory
outlook upon their surroundings.

The dull roar of the guns filled the air. Sometimes the batteries
were silent at night; but Wolfe kept things alive on this occasion,
in order to cover the approach of the boarding party. Now the mouth
of the harbour was reached, and the little fleet gathered itself
more compactly together, and the muffling of the oars was carefully
looked to. Directions as to the order to be observed had been given
before, and the boats fell into their appointed position with
quickness and accuracy.

Julian took the helm of the leading boat, and steered it across the
harbour towards the anchored vessels. He knew exactly where and how
they lay. And soon the little flotilla was lying compactly
together, its presence all unsuspected, within a cable's length of
the two battleships.

Now the time for concealment was over. The men seized their arms in
readiness. The boats dashed through the water at full speed. The
next moment hundreds of hardy British sailors were swarming up the
sides of the French vessels, uttering cheers and shouts of triumph
the while.

Humphrey and Julian were amongst the first to spring upon the deck
of the Bienfaisant. The startled crew were just rushing up from
below, having been made aware of the peril only a few seconds
earlier. Some of them were but half dressed; few of them knew what
it was that was happening. They found themselves confronted by
English sailors with dirk and musket. Sharp firing, shouts, curses,
cries, made the night hideous for a few minutes, and then a ringing
voice called out in French:

"Surrender the vessels, and your lives shall be spared."

It was Julian who cried these words at the command of the officer,
and there was no resistance possible for the overpowered crew. The
soldiers were on shore within the fort. They were but a handful of
men in comparis