y disabled, and incapable of proceeding one
step farther, he loaded his piece, and presented it to the two foremost
Indians, who stood aloof, waiting to be joined by their fellows; while
the French, from their breastworks, kept up a continual fire of cannon
and small arms upon this poor solitary and maimed gentleman. In this
uncomfortable situation he stood, when he discerned at a distance a
Highland officer, with a party of his men, skirting the plain towards
the field of battle. He forthwith waved his hand in signal of distress,
and being perceived by the officer, he detached three of his men to his
assistance. These brave fellows hastened to him through the midst of
a terrible fire, and one of them bore him off on his shoulders. The
Highland officer was captain Macdonald of colonel Frasor's battalion;
who, understanding that a young gentleman, his kinsman, had dropped on
the field of battle, had put himself at the head of this party, with
which he penetrated to the middle of the field, drove a considerable
number of the French and Indians before him, and finding his relation
still unscalped, carried him off in triumph. Poor captain Ochterlony was
conveyed to Quebec, where in a few days he died of his wounds. After the
reduction of that place, the French surgeons who attended him declared,
that in all probability he would have recovered of the two shots he had
received in his breast, had he not been mortally wounded in the belly by
the Indian's scalping-knife.

As this very remarkable scene was acted in sight of both armies, general
Townshend, in the sequel, expostulated with the French officers upon
the inhumanity of keeping up such a severe fire against two wounded
gentlemen who were disabled, and destitute of all hope of escaping.
They answered that the fire was not made by the regulars, but by the
Canadians and savages, whom it was not in the power of discipline to
restrain.]

[Footnote 513: Note 3 Z, p. 513. How far the success of this
attempt depended upon accident, may be conceived from the following
particulars:--In the twilight, two French deserters were carried on
board a ship of war, commanded by captain Smith, and lying at anchor
near the north shore. They told him that the garrison of Quebec expected
that night to receive a convoy of provisions, sent down the river in
boats from the detachment above, commanded by M. de Bouganville. These
deserters, standing upon deck, and perceiving the English boats w