g the shore, until a spot was found where
the heights could be climbed. The third was to make a general attack
from the boats upon Beauport.

Monckton, Townshend, and Murray met in consultation, and considered all
the plans to be hopeless; but they proposed that an attempt should be
made to land above the town, and so to place the army between Quebec
and its base of supplies, thereby forcing Montcalm to fight or to
surrender.

The attempt seemed a desperate one, but Wolfe determined to adopt it.
He had not much hope of its succeeding, but should it not do so, there
was nothing for him but to sail, with his weakened army, back to
England. He therefore determined at last to make the attempt, and
implored his physician to patch him up, so that he could, in person,
take the command.

"I know perfectly well that you cannot cure me," he wrote; "but pray
make me up, so that I may be without pain for a few days, and able to
do my duty. That is all I want."

On the 3rd of September, Wolfe took the first steps towards the
carrying out of his plans, by evacuating the camp at Montmorenci.
Montcalm sent a strong force to attack him, as he was moving; but
Monckton at Point Levi saw the movement, and, embarking two battalions
in boats, made a feint of landing at Beauport. Montcalm recalled his
troops to repulse the threatened attack, and the English were able to
draw off from Montmorenci without molestation.

On the night of the 4th, a fleet of flatboats passed above the town,
with the baggage and stores. On the 5th the infantry marched up by
land, and the united force, of some 3600 men, embarked on board the
ships of Admiral Holmes.

The French thought that the abandonment of Montmorenci, and the
embarkation of the troops, was a sign that the English were about to
abandon their enterprise, and sail for England. Nevertheless, Montcalm
did not relax his vigilance, being ever on the watch, riding from post
to post, to see that all was in readiness to repel an attack. In one of
his letters at this time, he mentioned that he had not taken off his
clothes since the 23d of June.

He now reinforced the troops under Bougainville, above Quebec, to 3000
men. He had little fear for the heights near the town, believing them
to be inaccessible, and that a hundred men could stop a whole army.
This he said, especially, in reference to the one spot which presented
at least a possibility of being scaled. Here Captain de Vergor, with a
hundre