Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-08-27
CHAPTER XII.


ON THE ROOF OF TIE WORLD.
TT was ten o'clock in the morn
ing, Every available English
Il soldier had been landed on
the Quebec side and had scram-
bled up the cliffs to the Plains of
Abraham. The hours intervening
since the first attack had not been
idle ones. French batteries erect
ed at Samos and Sillery, not far dis
tant, and on either side Of the cove,
had been CALAMITY taken by assault,
and scouting parties had cleared the
adjacent country of stragglers, The
sailors under Grafton by herculean en-
deayor had drawn two six-pounders TO
the crest of the plateau, Since eight
o'clock In the morning these two guns,
excellently served by the seamen, had
been replying to heavy fire from the
three larger guns of the French, who
had begun assembling as early as six
o'clock on the hill beyond the English
position.
From the covert afforded by the
trees and underbrush on the side Of
the St. Charles river valley, as we'll
as on the St. Lawrence edge, Indian
and backwoods sharp-shooters had
been pouring gallant rifle fire upon
the English, to which no effective re-
ply could be made. The thin red line
Of soldiers that had so often stood be-
tween humanity's progress and the
armed world in opposition, keeping
open the pathway of the future, was
drawn up in three ranks. The lines
were not long enough to reach aross
the plateau, and the left flank, where
Townshend commanded, was refused
drawn back at a right angle from the
battle front.
Col. Burton, with the light in
fantry, was held In reserve to antici-
pate possible attack from Bougain-
vile. That worthy officer, however,
knew nothing of tho landing and re-
manned quietly in camp at Cap Rouge,
expecting the return of the British
ships with the changing tide. The sky
was overcast, and fjtful showers, light
in character and brief in Duration be-
sprinkled the sod, soon to be wetted
by liquid substance of greater con-
sistence and more ominous color.
II the scarlet-clad Englishmen pre-
sented vivid though menacing pic
! ture to the French, the aspect Of the
latter was sufficiently picturesque to
awaken the admiration of their foes.
Very handsome the white coats of the
French regulars looked against the
| green grass that morning. Alas!
many Of them were destined to sport
the red colors of England before the
day was decided.
The two armies were about equal in
number. The qualities of the French
regulars were as high as those of the
British army, but the average Of the
French forces was sadly diminished
by the fact that the larger portion Of
: their army was made up Of Canadian
militia. These hardy peasants were
excellent fighters in forest service, but
| poor material indeed with which to
face regular troops in the open.
But Montcalm had been hasty. He
might have waited longer, until
BoNgainville with his excellent divi-
sion had joined him, or at least
reached a position from which he could
support the French attack by a demon
stration in force in the rear Of the
English. Fight the French must, of
course, or starve, but they would not
have starved in few hours. and q
| few hours might have materially
| changed the situation. There were
battery after battery of field pieces
back in Quebec which should have
been dispatched to Montcalm's assist
ance. His repeated and most pressing
requests to de Ramsay, the COM
mander, had only brought three guns
to him, and the cowardly de Vaudreuil,
the governor of the province, was