was ill, and our forces were
depressed in consequence; for he had a power to inspire them not given
to any other of our accomplished and admirable generals. He forbore to
question me concerning the state of the town and what I had seen; for
which I was glad. My adventure had been of a private nature, and such I
wished it to remain. The general desired me to come to him as soon as I
was able, that I might proceed with him above the town to reconnoitre.
But for many a day this was impossible, for my wound gave me much pain
and I was confined to my bed.

Yet we on the Terror of France served our good general, too; for one
dark night, when the wind was fair, we piloted the remaining ships
of Admiral Holmes's division above the town. This move was made on my
constant assertion that there was a way by which Quebec might be taken
from above; and when General Wolfe made known my representations to his
general officers, they accepted it as a last resort; for otherwise what
hope had they? At Montmorenci our troops had been repulsed, the mud
flats of the Beauport shore and the St. Charles River were as good as
an army against us; the Upper Town and citadel were practically
impregnable; and for eight miles west of the town to the cove and river
at Cap Rouge there was one long precipice, broken in but one spot; but
just there, I was sure, men could come up with stiff climbing as I had
done. Bougainville came to Cap Rouge now with three thousand men, for
he thought that this was to be our point of attack. Along the shore from
Cap Rouge to Cape Diamond small batteries were posted, such as that of
Lancy's at Anse du Foulon; but they were careless, for no conjectures
might seem so wild as that of bringing an army up where I had climbed.

"Tut, tut," said General Murray, when he came to me on the Terror of
France, after having, at my suggestion, gone to the south shore opposite
Anse du Foulon, and scanned the faint line that marked the narrow cleft
on the cliff side--"tut, tut, man," said he, "'tis the dream of a cat or
a damned mathematician."

Once, after all was done, he said to me that cats and mathematicians
were the only generals.

With a belligerent pride Clark showed the way up the river one evening,
the batteries of the town giving us plunging shots as we went, and ours
at Point Levis answering gallantly. To me it was a good if most anxious
time: good, in that I was having some sort of compensation for my own
sufferings in