Edward Stratemeyer

“ On entering Montreal Henry saw but little of the place, for he was hurried without ceremony to a stone building which the French had turned into an army prison. In this building were huddled 239over a score of prisoners of all descriptions—a motley, half-dressed and half-starved crowd, some grenadiers, some rangers, and some civilians. Everybody in the crowd was out of humor, and groans and curses were frequent. But the prisoners did not dare to talk too loudly, for if they did, a guard would appear and threaten them with solitary confinement in a stone cell under one of the churches. ”

“ The French took possession of several rises of ground and of some cornfields, and a scattering fire began, gradually growing stronger and stronger.
“Be calm, men!” cried Wolfe, riding up and down, in front and beyond his men. A short while later a bullet struck him in the wrist, but he bound the wound up with a handkerchief, and refused to quit the field.
Henry and Silvers were firing with the rest. Soon the fight caused them to drift apart. Henry was with some grenadiers, tall, strong-looking soldiers, who fought with a rare courage that nothing could daunt. ”

“ They bent to the oars with a will, two in each boat rowing and the third steering. Another gust hit them, giving them a second ducking, and now followed a veritable cloud-burst of rain. But in a few minutes the cove was gained, and they glided under some overhanging branches and thick bushes.
“We are well out of that!” said Henry, when he could catch his breath. “Just listen to the wind whistle!”
“It won’t last,” said Silvers. “In an hour from now the sun will be shining as brightly as ever.” ”

“ The shore was almost reached, when the Indians set up a yell, and while two of them continued to row the other two rose up and fixed arrows in their bows.
“White soldier stop!” cried one, in bad English. “Stop, or be killed!”
“I reckon you’ll kill me anyway,” muttered Henry, and as the canoe grated on the shore, he dropped the paddle, caught up his hunting knife, and leaped to land.
It is barely possible that the youth might have escaped to the forest once more. But as he ran for the trees, two Indians suddenly appeared before him. ”

“ But a short distance away was a broad-sterned brig, standing slowly down the stream.
“If it’s a French craft we are lost,” whispered Silvers.
In a minute more the plank bumped up against the side of the brig, and they could see half a dozen sailors at the rail.
“Hullo there!” cried a rough English voice. “Keelhaul me, if there are not two soldiers on a board!”
“Frenchmen! spies!” put in another voice.
“No! no! we are not spies!” called back Silvers joyfully. “We are prisoners escaped from the French.” ”

“ WOLFE’S VICTORY AND DEATH A slight shower of rain was falling when Henry and Silvers, still panting for breath, followed the grenadiers and Highlanders to the Plains of Abraham, so called after Abraham Martin, a Canadian pilot who had once owned a stretch of land in that locality. The plains were tolerably level, covered here and there with grass and brushwood. To the southward stretched the St. Lawrence, and to the north and east the River St. Charles. Quebec stood at the extreme southeast point, hidden from view by a series of rocks and low hills, and partly protected by the city wall. ”

“ At night the French officer brought in an aged Englishman to talk to them. The Englishman was a Canadian settler.
“They are bound to make you talk,” said the Englishman. “If you will tell all you know they will treat you better.”
“Tell what?” asked Silvers.
“Tell all the plans of the English soldiers.”
“But we know very little,” put in Henry.
“The French captain thinks you know a great deal. He says the man who captured you, Jacques Volnier, is certain one of you is a noted spy.”
“He must mean me,” said Silvers. “If so, he is much mistaken. I am nothing but a plain soldier.” ”

“ White Buffalo will stand by the English, but when the war is at an end, when the hatchet is buried and the smoke of the pipe of peace floats on the evening air, who shall give to the Indian the land that is rightfully his own? ”

“ Henry had been separated from Pity-All-Sinners Skinner and from the English grenadier, and so knew absolutely nobody in the prison. More than this, no one seemed to care for him, and, if the truth must be told, he likewise cared for nobody. Everybody felt miserable and it was in very truth a struggle to keep body and soul together and to keep from catching some fatal disease.
The young soldier was in the prison over a month before Jean Bevoir came to see him. The French trader could only speak to him through the rudely slatted door and in the presence of the other captives. ”

“ The journey had been no easier for Dave than for the others, and more than once he had felt like crying out with pain when Raymond gripped his sore limb harder than usual.
“Ours has certainly been an ill-fated expedition,” observed Raymond, as he munched a bit of biscuit, while the others did the same. “If we ever get out of it alive, it will be a sorry report we’ll have to offer to the commander at Fort Oswego and to Sir William Johnson.”
“I can’t see how we are to be blamed,” answered Dave. “We were attacked by a superior force and fought as well as we could.” ”

“ Seeing they could not win, one vessel threw her guns overboard and sailed away and the others ran into the mud flats, where their crews set fire to them, and escaped by wading and in small boats.
“The day is ours; Lévis cannot stand this defeat on the water,” said General Murray, and he was right. The loss of the warships carried consternation into the camp of the French, and that very night they began to retreat, the English sending shot and shell after them to hasten their departure. In their hurry they left many cannon, muskets, and army stores behind them. ”

“ In the meantime, General Wolfe, on board the English fleet, reached the Canadian shore in June. News of his coming had already spread among the French, and it was felt that his attack would be directed against Quebec.
“We must save our beloved city, no matter what the cost!” was the cry throughout Canada; and to Quebec flocked both the regular French troops and also the French colonists, to the number of many thousands. All of these soldiers were placed under the command of General Montcalm, a wise and good soldier and one known for his thorough bravery. ”

“ Lawrence rapids by the army under General Amherst was never forgotten by those who participated in it. During that reckless ride over sixty boats were either totally wrecked or greatly damaged, and more than eighty soldiers lost their lives through drowning. As one boat after another shot through the swirling waters the French gathered on the upper bank of the river, fully expecting to see every one of their enemy go down to destruction. ”

“ A painful period of waiting followed. Far up the bluff they could hear the volunteers climbing along. Then came a shot, followed by others, and then a ringing English cheer.
“We have them! We have them!” was the cry. “Come up!”
“Hurrah!” came a mighty cry. “Up we go!” And in a twinkle the soldiers were out of the boats and scaling the rocks as best they could, some by way of the path and others by rocks and bushes.
It was a climb that Henry never forgot. The path was choked with grenadiers, each with his gun slung over his back and each loaded down with knapsack and blanket. ”

“ The French are our bitter enemies—then why not kill and scalp them? The great Sir William must know what is best—but the poor Indian cannot understand.”
“It isn’t Christian-like, that’s why, White Buffalo. After an enemy gives in we ought to treat him fairly and squarely.”
“The French would let their Indians kill and scalp you, David.”
“Perhaps; but two wrongs don’t make a right,” answered the young soldier. “War is war, but we needn’t make it any worse than is necessary.”
With the fall of Fort Lévis, the army under Amherst moved on again down the St. Lawrence. ”

“ The news that Fort Niagara was taken was hailed with joy by all of us, and we are proud of the part you and Henry played. Both of you must be careful and not run into needless danger. Now if Generals Wolfe and Amherst can only do as well this cruel war will soon come to an end, and then I can go and re-establish the post on the Kinotah, where, so I have been told by an old frontiersman, the game is now more plentiful than ever, since the Indians have left the hunting ground to go to war with the French. ”

“ The fall of Wolfe was disheartening to the English, but victory was already in their grasp, and on the French side General Montcalm had also been hit, as he was riding in the midst of the soldiers who were retreating toward the city. A shot passed through his body and he was supported through the St. Louis gate, now a place of intense excitement. Those who were in the city became panic-stricken, and many sought to get together their worldly possessions and fly for their lives. ”

“ In Europe there are so many people they couldn’t possibly live by hunting even if they wanted to. What would you do if there were so many Indians here?”
“The Great Spirit who rules the happy hunting ground takes care of that.” The chief paused. “And then there are wars.”
“Yes, I know you often lose plenty of warriors by your tribal quarrels,” said Henry. “But to get back to where we started from. If I have my say, you shall never suffer so long as I have a roof over my head.”
“When the war is over, I want White Buffalo to go with me to the trading-post on the Kinotah,” put in Dave. ”

“ If the French win they will keep the land, and if the English win they will keep the land, and White Buffalo and his brethren will have nothing—the maize land and the hunting land will all be gone from him.”
“It is a pity, White Buffalo, there is no denying it,” put in Henry. “You ought to have the land just as well as the white man. But the trouble is, you won’t cultivate it as we do.” ”

“ While still eight miles from the fort the little expedition was joined by forty Indians who were, much to Dave’s astonishment, under the leadership of White Buffalo.
“Why, White Buffalo, I thought your braves 278had deserted you!” cried the young soldier, after the first greeting was over.
“The old braves of my tribe have come back to their reason,” answered the Indian chief with a smiling face. “They have learned that the French are their enemies, and gave their word only to break it. Henceforth they will fight under White Buffalo and Sir William Johnson to the end.” ”

“ A SQUALL ON LAKE ONTARIO “If General Wolfe has suffered a heavy defeat it means a hard blow to our cause,” observed Dave, as the two rowboats glided over the water a short distance from each other.
“You are right,” answered the backwoodsman named Raymond. “Everybody was hoping he would sail right up the St. Lawrence and capture Quebec before the French were up to what he was doing.”
“I don’t think this war is over yet,” put in Gilfoy, a round-faced Irish-American. ”

“ The majority of the soldiers were struggling madly to hold fast to the bits of wreckage floating around. Yells and groans rent the air, with an occasional prayer for assistance. Some had already gone down to their death, and others were fast losing what little strength was left to them.
“It’s no use trying to get hold of a board, or anything,” thought Dave. “They are all fighting like so many cats and dogs. I’ll save my strength, and strike out for shore.” ”

“ Another yell sounded out and several Indians appeared, hideous in their warpaint. More arrows were fired—one grazing Henry’s hand—and eight of the warriors leaped toward the shelter, flourishing their tomahawks.
“Fire on ’em. Don’t waste a bullet!” sang out Silvers, and brought his long rifle to bear on the leading Indian. ”

“ His tribe is split and broken. Some have gone to the French, many are dead, or wounded, or sick. Six warriors only remain, but they are of the best, and they have sworn by the Great Spirit to stay with their chief to the finish. Let us go with you, and if we meet unfriendly Indians, or the French, we will do what we can to defend you.”
“Now ye air talkin’ right from the heart!” cried Sam Barringford, as he caught White Buffalo’s hand. “Come on by all means. Ye air the whitest Injun I ever seed!” And his face glowed with satisfaction, which pleased White Buffalo greatly. ”

“ White Buffalo said he would remain with the soldiers until morning, and soon the camp settled down once again to rest. His foot was badly cut, but when Dave had put on some salve that had been placed among the stores, he said it felt much better.
“David is right,” he said, while talking to the youth. “This war is not yet in sight of the end. The French agents have been again among the red men. They bring valuable presents and much drink, and promise many things to the Indian if he will but fight with them against the English.” ”

“ If the cooking was not of the best, neither of the travelers grumbled, for fresh air and hunger, real hunger, are the best sauces in the world.
In such a lonely spot it was not considered necessary to remain on guard, and after fixing the fire so it would burn for a long while, they turned in, and slept “like rocks” until daybreak.
A loud whistle from Barringford made Dave leap from his couch of pine boughs. The old frontiersman had breakfast ready, and this was quickly eaten, and soon they were on the way once more. Dave was a bit stiff, but did not complain. ”

“ As the leader of the expedition fell an arrow whizzed by his side, and buried itself in the dirt between the rocks.
“The redskins!” cried Henry. “They are behind us!”
“They are surrounding us,” put in Gilfoy.
Another arrow and still another whizzed through the air, and Shamer was struck in the arm. Then came a fierce yell from the forest, which was answered by another from the lake front.
“They must number twenty or thirty,” said Dave.
“We are caught like rats in a trap!” ejaculated 53Henry. His eyes began to blaze. “We’ve got to fight for it—and fight our best, too!” ”

“ Then each took a paddle and did what he could to move the craft to the south shore of the St. Lawrence.
“She’s a clumsy one, lad,” observed Silvers, as they pushed the craft around only with the greatest of difficulty.
“I never saw such a boat before,” answered Henry.
“It’s a fire-boat, that’s what it is. The straw and pitch will make a red-hot fire.”
“A fire-boat? What for?”
“To send out among the shipping. Most likely the French thought to burn some of General Wolfe’s ships with it.”
“I see. Hadn’t we better dump the straw and the barrels overboard? She will move quicker with no load.” ”