:

"What think you that they will first do--the English, I mean?"

"Probably land and make a camp upon the Isle of Orleans, which has
been evacuated. A camp of some sort they must have, and can make it
there without damage to us. It will make a sort of basis of
operations for them; but I think they will be sorely puzzled what
to do next. They cannot get near the city without exposing
themselves to a deadly fire which they cannot return--for guns
fired low from ships will not even touch our walls or ramparts--and
any attempt along the shore by Beauport will be repulsed with heavy
loss."

"Yet they will do something, I am sure," spoke the girl, beneath
her breath; and she was more sure still of this when upon the
morrow Colin returned, all aglow with excitement and admiration,
whilst the three midshipmen had much ado to restrain their whoops
of joy and triumph.

"I never saw such a thing!" cried Colin, his face full of delight
and enthusiasm, as he and the midshipmen got Corinne to themselves,
and could talk unrestrainedly together; "I feel as though I could
never take sides against the English again! If they are all such
men as that old sailing master Killick, methinks the French have
little chance against them."

"Hurrah for old Killick! hurrah for England's sailors!" cried the
midshipmen, as wildly excited as Colin himself; and Corinne pressed
her hands together, and looked from one to the other, crying:

"Oh tell me! what did he do?"

"I'll tell you!" cried Colin. "You have heard them speak of the
Traverse, and what a difficult place it is to navigate?"

"Yes: Monsieur de Montcalm was saying that no vessel ever ventured
up or down without a pilot; but he said that a rumour had reached
him that some pilots had been taken prisoners, and that the English
ships would get up with their help."

"With or without!" cried Peter, tossing his cap into the air. "As
though English sailors could not move without Frenchmen to help
them!"

"Some of them took pilots aboard; indeed they were sent to them,
and had no choice. But I must not get confused, and confuse you,
Corinne. I'll just tell you what we did ourselves.

"We heard a great talk going on on board one of the transport boats
called the Goodwill, which was almost in the van of the fleet, I
suppose because the old sailing master, Killick, was so good a
seaman; and so they had sent a pilot out to her, and he was
jabbering away at a great rate--"

"Just like a