orth flame
and smoke. The ship staggered beneath the leaden hail; but the guns
were too high to do mischief to the boats upon the water, and the
sailors replied by a lusty cheer. Julian wiped away a few drops of
blood that trickled down his face from a slight cut on his temple;
but for the most part the shot struck only the spars and rigging,
whistling harmlessly over the heads of the men on deck, who laughed
and cheered as they encouraged their comrades in the boats to row
their hardest and get beyond reach of the enemy's fire.

Wolfe had planted a battery himself just lately which commanded a
part of the harbour, and beneath this sheltering battery the
Bienfaisant was towed, whilst the sailors cheered might and main;
and once out of reach of the enemy's fire, rested on their oars and
watched the grand illumination of the flame-wrapped Prudent.

"If war is a horrible thing," said Julian reflectively to Humphrey,
"it has at least its grand sights. Look at the red glare upon the
shifting fog banks! Is it not like some wild diabolic carnival? One
could fancy one saw the forms of demons flitting to and fro in all
that reek and glare."

Humphrey's grave young face wore a rather stern look.

"I have seen other fires than that, and heard of those I have not
seen--fires the memory of which will live in my heart for years and
years! If we burn the vessels of the French, is it not because they
have hounded on the Indians to burn our homesteads, ay, and with
them our defenceless wives and children, mothers and sisters? Shall
not deeds like these bring about a stern retaliation? Are we not
here to take vengeance upon those who have been treacherous foes,
and shamed the Christian profession that they make? Shall we pity
or spare when we remember what they have done? The blood of our
brothers cries out to us. We do but repay them in their own coin."

"Yes," returned Julian thoughtfully; "there is a stern law of
reaping and sowing ordained of God Himself. We may well believe
that we are instruments in His hands for the carrying out of His
purpose. Yet we must seek always to be led of Him, and not to take
matters into our own hands. 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith
the Lord.'"

"I believe He will," said Humphrey, with a flash in his eyes; "but
give it to me to be there to see!"

"As I think we shall," answered Julian, "for I believe that the key
of the war will lie next at Quebec. Whoever holds that, holds the
power i