, ran {34}
away, but soon rallied. The driving snow quickly covered the dead and
the wounded in a funeral shroud.

The enemy were now free to close in upon Morgan and his riflemen, on
the other side of the town. All night long, fierce hand to hand
fighting went on in the narrow streets, amid the howling storm of
driving snow; and the morning light broke slowly upon scenes of
confusion and horror. Morgan and his men fought like heroes, but they
were outnumbered, and were forced to surrender.

The rest of this sad story may be briefly told. Arnold was given the
chief command. Although he was weakened from loss of blood, and
helpless from his shattered leg, nothing could break his dauntless
will. Expecting the enemy at any moment to attack the hospital, he
had his pistols and his sword placed on his bed, that he might die
fighting. From that bedside, he kept his army of seven hundred men
sternly to its duty. In a month he was out of doors, hobbling about
on crutches, and hopeful as ever of success.

Washington sent orders for Arnold to stand his ground, and as late as
January 27 wrote him that "the glorious work must be accomplished
this winter." With bulldog grip, Arnold obeyed orders, and kept up
the hopeless siege. During the winter, more troops came to his help
from across the lakes, but they only closed the gaps made by
hardships and smallpox.

{35} On the 14th of March, a flag of truce was again sent to the
city, demanding its surrender.

"No flag will be received," said the officer of the day, "unless it
comes to implore the mercy of the king."

A wooden horse was mounted on the walls near the famous old St.
John's gate, with a bundle of hay before it. Upon the horse was
tacked a placard, on which was written, "When this horse has eaten
this bunch of hay, we will surrender."

Although they were short of food, and were forced to tear down the
houses for firewood, the garrison was safe and quite comfortable
behind the snow-covered ramparts.

The end of the coldest winter ever known in Canada save one came at
last. The river was full of ice during the first week of May. A few
days later, three men-of-war forced their way up the St. Lawrence
through the floating ice, and relieved the besieged city. The salute
of twenty-one guns fired by the fleet was joyful music to the people
of Quebec. Amid the thundering of the guns from the citadel, the
great bell of the Cathedral clanged the death knell to Arnold's
hope