who no doubt felt some jealousy, at the command of this
important expedition being given to an officer who had served under his
orders at the taking of Louisbourg, sent a smaller contingent of troops
than had been expected.

Among the regiments which sailed was that of James Walsham. After the
fight at Ticonderoga, in which upwards of half of his force had fallen,
the little corps had been broken up, and the men had returned to duty
with their regiments. Owing to the number of officers who had fallen,
James now stood high on the list of lieutenants. He had had enough of
scouting, and was glad to return to the regiment, his principal regret
being that he had to part from his two trusty scouts.

There was great joy, in the regiment, when the news was received that
they were to go with the expedition against Quebec. They had formed
part of Wolf''s division at Louisbourg, and, like all who had served
with him, regarded with enthusiasm and confidence the leader whose
frail body seemed wholly incapable of sustaining fatigue or hardship,
but whose indomitable spirit and courage placed him ever in the front,
and set an example which the bravest of his followers were proud to
imitate.

From time to time, James had received letters from home. Communication
was irregular; but his mother and Mr. Wilks wrote frequently, and
sometimes he received half a dozen letters at once. He had now been
absent from home for four years, and his mother told him that he would
scarcely recognize Aggie, who was now as tall as herself. Mrs. Walsham
said that the girl was almost as interested as she was in his letters,
and in the despatches from the war, in which his name had several times
been mentioned, in connection with the services rendered by his scouts.

Richard Horton had twice, during James's absence, returned home. The
squire, Mrs. Walsham said, had received him very coolly, in consequence
of the letter he had written when James was pressed as a seaman, and
she said that Aggie seemed to have taken a great objection to him. She
wondered, indeed, that he could stay an hour in the house after his
reception there; but he seemed as if he didn't notice it, and took
especial pains to try and overcome Aggie's feeling against him.

While waiting at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence, Admiral Durell had
succeeded in obtaining pilots to take the fleet up the river. He had
sailed up the river to the point where the difficult navigation began,
and where