The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-04-09
ALONG ARNOLD'S TRAIL
FROM MAINE TO CANADA.
BY FRANK w. GOWEN.

over high hills and mountains we were
! charmed by the beautiful scenery along
the way. Looking towards the north
we saw the grand old Canadian hills
fading into the distance, but we knew
that Quebec was just beyond the dark
blue lines. Then looking at the winding
river we seemed to trace in our minds
the scenes when Arnold's ragged and
starving army marched along to assem-
BILE soon after before the walls OF Que
bee, which Major Timothy BigeloW
claimed he could see with his glass
from the top of the high mountain
named in his honor Oh the Dead River.
Nature built its groundwork with
rather rough hand along the Chau-
! diere. There are hills, mountains and
rocks without number, and IN some
! places on the hillSideS the rocks are SO
numerous that should think it would
be difficult for cattle to get much past
urage. We drove by clusters of little
white frame houses, and noted that the
women wore calico dresses and heavy
! shoes. How they did iabber to each
other in the French tongue, the words
coming So rapidly that my friend re-
marked that their tongues must DE
/ hung i'll the middle and Wag at both
ends. Yet these French Canadians are
a very generous and hospitable people
to meet and are not so suspicious OF
/ strangers as are some OF our own rural
people. They answer all questions po-
Iitey, and at your request will hand you
| a glass of cool water from the family
well without thought of a tip. Lum-
bering operations are carried on quite
extensively along the Chaudiere and
large saw mills are seen here and there
along its banks.
/ The next forenoon, which was the
| first of September, we left Beauce juno
i ton for Quebec and arrived at our des-
tination at LIS p. N. We took cab
| and were driven to the st, George
House Oh St. Anne Street, where we
found a large mail awaiting us from
home. After dinner our genial land
lord inquired what places we would like
to visit during the afternoon, and when
told the "Plains of Abraham" ordered
caliche for us. AS the driver whipped
up his nag and we drove away from the
hotel my friend said, "What queer
looking two-wheeled carriage this is
''Yes,'' | replied, "but it is the charac
teristic vehicle of Quebec Well
said he, 'let's have this top dropped
back so we can get a better view so
| say" | replied, and our big Canadian
driver jumped off his little seat and ad
| iusted the top as desired. What
magnificent view spread out before us
as our eyes roved over the lower and up
per town and surrounding country and
| the great st. Lawrence river, which bears
many ships and large steamships to the
F., sea- bound to foreign lands. Our driver
stopped his horse by our request and
| we sat in the carnage lost III admira-
| ton of one of the most magnificent
views in the world On mighty river of
historic memory, flowing Oh through a
great continent 1000 miles until at last
| your bright waters kiss the shores OF
| Newfo midland, and distant Labrador
and mingle with the blue waves of the
| North Atlantic ocean, if you only could
| tell US of the deeds of herolSm OF the
early explorers and of the martial strife
along your shores! Again our driver
whipped up his horse and we soon ar
rived on the famous battlefield and
stood beside Wolfes monument. This,
then sad my friend, lis the Plains
of Abraham, where General Wolfe gain
ed his great victory over Montcaim, and
dying in the hour of glory used these
| famous words which will live forever.
| Now, God be praised, | die happy"
Eyes, here we are at last L replied.
Glow many times have l wished to
visit this famous field and | deem it
one of the greatest privileges of my life
that my desires have been gratified."
| 81 don't doubt it, said my friend. "No
patriot could stand here where great
events occurred that added an empire
to English rule without having serious
| and lofty thoughts" Historic plains,'
! rejoined, "here the armies of our
mother country and France met III
~ lac otr for
cy Oh this great continent and England
won a vast territory from the shores of
the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic ocean.
| Thus our mother country, after having
lost thousands of brave men in the
French and Indian wars and adding
| $50, 900 to her national debt, was at last
| master of nearly all of North America.
| But sixteen years later the American
| colonies took up arms to throw Off the
British yoke and General Montgomery,
who had fought here under Wolfe, uni
ted his small army which he had march
ed from Montreal with that of General
Arnold and attacked the city which lies
at our feet but fell before its walls"
| ooh cruel war;" observed my friend,
shall we never be freed from its
threatening shadow" God grant that
we may" l replied. Hush the roar
of cannon, and the guns of brave SOL
diers dying in agony; do away forever
with such scenes of bloodshed and let
great questions which threaten war be-
tween powerful nations be settled by
arbitration" "That is just what be-
lieve," said my friend. ooh cruel,
bloody war, how it devastates nation
and saddens the hearts of the human
race"
sob war, war, war,
Thou false baptized, that in thy wonted
OF glory stealest DER the hearts of men,
To rive his bosom with hundred darts.
Disrobed of pomp and circumstance, stand
forth,
And show thy written league with Sin and
Death"
GLOW far is Montreal from Quebec"
inquired my friend. cit is $50 miles,"
| replied, "and lies on the left bank OF
the St. Lawrence, and is also the largest
city in British America" "Have you
any of the dispatches in your notebook