114 THE FALL OF NEW FRANCE 
abortive attacks and fruitless efforts to take the wary 
Montcalm at a disadvantage, Wolfe suddenly made up 
his mind to perform the impossible, and lead his army 
up the dangerous precipice. A decided movement of 
the fleet drew Montcalm’s attention far up the river, 
while at one o’clock in the morning of the 13th of 
September five thousand Englishmen in boats, without 
touching an oar, glided steadily down-stream with the 
current, and landed just under the steep bluff. Maple 
and ash trees grew on the side, and pulling themselves 
up by branches and bare gnarled roots from tree to 
tree, with herculean toil the light infantry gained the 
summit and overpowered the small picket stationed 
there, while the heavy-armed troops made their way 
up a rough winding path near by. By daybreak the 
ascent was accomplished, and the English army stood 
in solid array on the Heights of Abraham, with the 
doomed city before them. When the news was 
conveyed to Montcalm, in his camp the other side 
of the St. Charles, he thought at first that it must be a 
feint to draw him from his position; but when he had 
so far recovered from his astonishment as to compre- 
hend what had happened, he saw that his only hope 
lay in crushing the intruders before noon, and without 
a moment’s delay he broke camp and marched for the 
enemy. At ten o'clock the two armies stood face to 
face, equal in numbers, but very unequal in quality. 
The five thousand Englishmen were all thoroughly 
disciplined soldiers, while of Montcalm’s force but two 
thousand were French regulars, the rest being unsteady 
Canadian militia. France was kept altogether too 
busy in Europe to be able to spare many trained sol- 
diers to defend her tottering empire in America. 
ee 
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