wenty-four picked men volunteered to follow
them. Thirty large troop boats, and some boats belonging to the ships,
were in readiness, and 1700 men took their places in them.

The tide was still flowing, and, the better to deceive the French, the
vessels and boats were allowed to drift upwards for a little distance,
as if to attempt to effect a landing above Cap Rouge. Wolfe had, that
day, gained some intelligence which would assist him to deceive the
enemy, for he learned that a number of boats, laden with provisions
from Quebec, were coming down with the tide.

Wolfe was on board the Sutherland. He was somewhat stronger than he had
been for some days, but felt a presentiment that he would die in the
approaching battle. About two o'clock, the tide began to ebb, and two
lanterns--the signal for the troops to put off--were shown in the
rigging of the Sutherland.

Fortune favoured the English. Bougainville had watched the vessels,
until he saw them begin to drift down again with the stream, and,
thinking that they would return again with the flood, as they had done
for the last seven days, allowed his weary troops to retire to their
camp. The battalion of Guienne, instead of encamping near the heights,
had remained on the Saint Charles; and Vergor, an incapable and
cowardly officer, had gone quietly to bed, and had allowed a number of
the Canadians under him to go away to their village, to assist in
getting in the harvest.

For two hours, the English boats drifted down with the stream. As they
neared their destination, they suddenly were challenged by a French
sentry. An officer, who spoke the language replied, "France."

"A quel regiment?"

"De la reine," the officer replied, knowing that a part of that
regiment was with Bougainville. The sentry, believing that they were
the expected provision boats, allowed them to pass on.

A few hundred yards further, another sentry challenged them. The same
officer replied in French, "Provision boats. Don't make a noise; the
English will hear us."

A few minutes later, the boats rowed up to the strand, at the foot of
the heights. Vergor had placed no sentry on the shore, and the troops
landed unchallenged. Guided by James Walsham, Colonel Howe, with his
twenty-four volunteers, led the way. As silently as they could, they
moved up the pathway, until they gained the top, and saw before them
the outline of the tents. They went at them with a rush. Vergor leaped
from his bed, an