they did nothing but load and fire for a considerable time.  In short, the general satisfaction is not to be conceived, except by a person who had suffered the extremities of a siege, and been destined, with his brave friends and countrymen, to the scalping-knives of a faithless conqueror and his barbarious allies.”  The “Lowestoffe” brought news that a British squadron was at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, and would reach Quebec in a few days.

[Footnote 834:  Thompson in Revue Canadienne, IV. 866.]

Levis, in ignorance of this, still clung to the hope that French ships would arrive strong enough to overpower the unwelcome stranger.  His guns, being at last in position, presently opened fire upon a wall that was not built to bear the brunt of heavy shot; but an artillery better and more numerous than his own almost silenced them, and his gunners were harassed by repeated sallies.  The besiegers had now no real chance of success unless they could carry the place by storm, to which end they had provided abundant scaling-ladders as well as petards to burst in the gates.  They made, however, no attempt to use them.  A week passed, when, on the evening of the fifteenth, the ship of the line “Vanguard” and the frigate “Diana” sailed into the harbor; and on the next morning the “Diana” and the “Lowestoffe” passed the town to attack the French vessels in the river above.  These were six in all,—­two frigates, two smaller armed ships, and two schooners; the whole under command of the gallant Vauquelin.  He did not belie his reputation; fought his ship with persistent bravery till his ammunition was spent, refused even then to strike his flag, and being made prisoner, was treated by his captors with distinguished honor.  The other vessels made little or no resistance.  One of them threw her guns overboard and escaped; the rest ran ashore and were burned.

The destruction of his vessels was a death-blow to the hopes of Levis, for they contained his stores of food and ammunition.  He had passed the preceding night in great agitation; and when the cannonade on the river ceased, he hastened to raise the siege.  In the evening deserters from hiscamp told Murray that the French were in full retreat; on which all the English batteries opened, firing at random through the darkness, and sending cannon-balls en ricochet, bowling by scores together, over the Plains of Abraham on the heels of the retiring enemy.  Murray marched out at dawn of day to fall upon their rear; but, with a hundred and fifty cannon bellowing behind them, they had made such speed that, though he pushed over the marsh to Old Lorette, he could not overtake them; they had already crossed the river of Cap-Rouge.  Why, with numbers still superior, they went off in such haste, it is hard to say.  They left behind them thirty-four cannon and six mortars, with petards, scaling-ladders, tents, ammunition, baggage, intrenching tools, many of their muskets, and all their sick and wounded.