g gates
built by the Frenchmen, the victorious army, under Levis, might have
recovered Quebec, on that memorable day, and regained possession of New
France. Bitter irony of fate! Along the avenue where Prescott Gate was
afterwards erected, palisades were raised by James Thompson, Overseer of
Works, to bar the advance of the Americans from that quarter, and his
name, as we shall see later on, was intimately associated with the
siege. All these defences were in Upper Town, or within the walled
portion. In Lower Town and under the Cape, the eastern extremity was
defended by batteries in Dog Lane or Little Sault-au-Matelot, and the
western end at Pres-de-Ville, by a masked battery. Going from one to the
other of these constituted the round of military service. The Lower Town
was chiefly guarded by militia. They went and came singing their French
songs, the very best of military bands.

Vive la Canadienne
Et ses jolis yeux doux,

then received its consecration, and the light-hearted fellows kept step
to _c' etait un p'tit bonhomme_ and _a la claire fontaine_. Along with
the singing there was much good-natured conversation. War has its grim
humors. One party standing in the Cul de Sac on the site of the chapel
built by Camplain, made mirth at the expense of Jerry Duggan, late
hair-dresser, in the town, who had gone over to the enemy and was
"stiled" Major amongst them. Jerry was said to be in command of five
hundred Canadians, and had disarmed the inhabitants of St. Roch, a
suburb of Quebec, without opposition. Another party, grouped in front of
the Chien d'Or, laughed heartily at the _Canadiens Bastonnais_,
Canadians who had joined the rebels, because they were stationed on the
ice of the river to keep patrol. "A cold reward for treason," they said.
Mysterious visitors went in and out of George Allsopp's house in
Sous-le-Fort street. Allsopp was chief of opposition in Cramahe's
Council. The outposts were enlivened every night by the arrival of
deserters. Some of these were spies. The information they gave of the
enemy was very puzzling. Every morning at headquarters, when the roll
was called, some one was found missing, having escaped to the Americans.
About one third of every army cannot be depended upon. The length of the
siege produced dearness of provisions, which had not been carefully
husbanded from the start. So early as January, beef rated at nine pence,
fresh pork at one and three, and a small quarter of m