ses where they
sheltered and galled Townsend's men. Their field-pieces opened on us,
too, and yet we did nothing, but at nine o'clock, being ordered, lay
down and waited still. There was no restlessness, no anxiety, no show of
doubt, for these men of ours were old fighters, and they trusted their
leaders. From bushes, trees, coverts, and fields of grain there came
that constant hail of fire, and there fell upon our ranks a doggedness,
a quiet anger, which grew into a grisly patience. The only pleasure we
had in two long hours was in watching our two brass six-pounders play
upon the irregular ranks of our foes, making confusion, and Townsend
drive back a detachment of cavalry from Cap Rouge, which sought to break
our left flank and reach Montcalm.

We had seen the stars go down, the cold, mottled light of dawn break
over the battered city and the heights of Charlesbourg; we had watched
the sun come up, and then steal away behind slow-travelling clouds and
hanging mist; we had looked across over unreaped cornfields and the
dull, slovenly St. Charles, knowing that endless leagues of country,
north and south, east and west, lay in the balance for the last time. I
believed that this day would see the last of the strife between England
and France for dominion here; of La Pompadour's spite which I had roused
to action against my country; of the struggle between Doltaire and
myself.

The public stake was worthy of our army--worthy of the dauntless
soldier, who had begged his physicians to patch him up long enough to
fight this fight, whereon he staked reputation, life, all that a man
loves in the world; the private stake was more than worthy of my long
sufferings. I thought that Montcalm would have waited for Vaudreuil, but
no. At ten o'clock his three columns moved down upon us briskly, making
a wild rattle; two columns moving upon our right and one upon our left,
firing obliquely and constantly as they marched. Then came the command
to rise, and we stood up and waited, our muskets loaded with an extra
ball. I could feel the stern malice in our ranks, as we stood there and
took, without returning a shot, that damnable fire. Minute after minute
passed; then came the sharp command to advance. We did so, and again
halted, and yet no shot came from us. We stood there, a long palisade of
red.

At last I saw our general raise his sword, a command rang down the long
line of battle, and, like one terrible cannon-shot, our muskets s