into their rear, in order to cut them off. Theyfaced about,
attacked them, and drove them back like the first. The two French
parties then joined forces, left Hazen topursue his march, and
attacked the fourteen rangers in the house, who met them with a
brisk fire. Hazen and his men heard the noise; and, hastening back,
fell upon the rear of the French, while those in the house sallied
and attacked them infront. They were again routed; and the rangers
chased them two miles, killing six of them and capturing seven. Knox,
in whose eyes provincials usually find no favor, launches this
time into warm commendation of "our simply honest New England men."

Fresh reports came in from time to time that the French
were gathering all their strength to recover Quebec; and late
in February these stories took a definite shape. A deserter from
Montreal brought Murray a letter from an officer of rangers,
who was a prisoner at that place, warning him that eleven
thousand men were on the point of marching to attack him.
Three other deserters soon after confirmed the news, but
added that the scheme had met with a check; for as it was intended
to carry the town by storm, a grand rehearsal had taken
place, with the help of scaling-ladders planted against the wall
of a church; whereupon the Canadians rushed with such zeal
to the assault that numerous broken legs, arms, and heads
ensued, along with ruptures, sprains, bruises, and dislocations;
insomuch, said the story, that they became disgusted with the
attempt. All remained quiet till after the middle of April, when
the garrison was startled by repeated assurances that at the first
breaking-up of the ice all Canada would be upon them. Murray
accordingly ordered the French inhabitants to leave the town
within three days.[823]

[Footnote 823: _Ordonnance faite a Quebec le 21 Avril, 1760, par son
Excellence, Jacques Murray_.]

In some respects the temper of the troops was excellent. In
the petty warfare of the past winter they had generally been
successful, proving themselves a match for the bushrangers
and Indians on their own ground; so that, as Sergeant Johnson
remarks, in his odd way, "Very often a small number of our
men would put to flight a considerable party of those Cannibals."
They began to think themselves invincible; yet they had
the deepest cause for anxiety. The effective strength of the garrison
was reduced to less than half, and of those that remained
fit for duty, hardly