“The paths of glory lead but to the grave.”  P/

“Gentlemen,” he said, as his recital ended, “I would rather have written those lines than take Quebec.”  None were there to tell him that the hero is greater than the poet.

As they neared their destination, the tide bore them in towards the shore, and the mighty wall of rock and forest towered in darkness on their left.  The dead stillness was suddenly broken by the sharp Qui vive! of a French sentry, invisible in the thick gloom. France! answered a Highland officer of Fraser’s regiment from one of the boats of the light infantry.  He had served in Holland and spoke French fluently.

A quel regiment?

De la Reine, replied the Highlander.  He knew that a part of that corps was with Bougainville.  The sentry, expecting the convoy of provisions, was satisfied, and did not ask for the password.

Soon after, the foremost boats were passing the heights of Samos, when another sentry challenged them, and they could see him through the darkness running down to the edge of the water, within range of a pistol-shot.  In answer to his questions, the same officer replied, in French:  “Provision-boats.  Don’t make a noise; the English will hear us."[775] In fact, the sloop-of-war “Hunter” was anchored in the stream not far off.  This time, again, the sentry let them pass.  In a few moments they rounded the headland above the Anse du Foulon.  There was no sentry there.  The strong current swept the boats of the light infantry a little below the intended landing-place.[776] They disembarked on a narrow strand at the foot of heights as steep as a hill covered with trees can be.  The twenty-four volunteers led the way, climbing with what silence they might, closely followed by a much larger body.  When they reached the top they saw in the dim light a cluster of tents at a short distance, and immediately made a dash at them.  Vergor leaped from bed and tried to run off, but was shot in the heel and captured.  His men, taken by surprise, made little resistance.  One or two were caught, the rest fled.

[Footnote 775:  See a note of Smollett, History of England, V. 56 (ed. 1805).  Sergeant Johnson, Vaudreuil, Foligny, and the Journal of Particular Transactions give similar accounts.]

[Footnote 776:  Saunders to Pitt, 20 Sept. Journal of Sergeant Johnson.  Compare Knox, II. 67.]

The main body of troops waited in their boats by the edge of the strand.  The heights near by were cleft by a great ravine choked with forest trees; and in its depths ran a little brook called Ruisseau St.-Denis, which, swollen by the late rains, fell plashing in the stillness over a rock.  Other than this no sound could reach the strained ear of Wolfe but the gurgle of the tide and the cautious climbing of his advance-parties as they mounted the steeps at some little distance from where he sat listening.