"but that is one of the things I
must deny myself. If the war should be finished, I shall have to return
to England."

"St. Luc is in Quebec," said Willet. "We followed his trail a long
distance."

"Which means that our task here will be the harder," said Colden.

Robert went with Willet, Charteris and Tayoga the next day to Monckton's
camp at Point Levis, whence the English batteries had poured destruction
upon the lower town of Quebec, firing across the St. Lawrence, that most
magnificent of all rivers, where its channel was narrow. He could see
the houses lying in ashes or ruins, but above them the French flag
floated defiantly over the upper city.

"Montcalm and his lieutenants made great preparations to receive General
Wolfe," said Charteris. "As I was in Quebec then, I know something
about them, and I've learned more since I escaped. They threw up
earthworks, bastions and redoubts almost all the way from Quebec to
Montcalm's camp at Beauport. Over there at Beauport the Marquis' first
headquarters were located in a big stone house. Across the mouth of the
St. Charles they put a great boom of logs, fastened together by chains,
and strengthened further by two cut-down ships on which they mounted
batteries. Forces passing between the city and the Beauport camp crossed
the St. Charles on a bridge of boats, and each entrance of the bridge
was guarded by earthworks. In the city they closed and fortified every
gate, except the Palace Gate, through which they passed to the bridge or
from it. They had more than a hundred cannon on the walls, a floating
battery carried twelve more guns, and big ones too, and they had a lot
of gun-boats and fire ships and fire rafts. They gathered about fifteen
thousand men in the Beauport camp, besides Indians, with the regulars in
the center, and the militia on the flank. In addition to these there
were a couple of thousand in the city itself under De Ramesay, and I
think Montcalm had, all told, near to twenty thousand men, about double
our force, though 'tis true many of theirs are militia and we have a
powerful fleet. I suppose their numbers have not decreased, and it's a
great task we've undertaken, though I think we'll achieve it."

Robert looked again and with great emotion upon Quebec, that heart and
soul of the French power in North America. Truly much water had flowed
down the St. Lawrence since he was there before. He could not forget the
thrill with which he had first approac