— 48 — 



and glistening steel soon marked them as British troops. 

 ' They are on the move, they are off for Quebec/ 

 exclaimed Drouin, after a few moments of observation ; 

 * a good riddance ! Let us go back and tell our people.' 

 ' Of course,' replied the other ; ' but suppose we take a 

 run to the convent and see what is going on there.' In 

 a trice they got there : Drouin's hand has just seized 

 the handle of the door, when it was violently thrown 

 open, and twenty Highlanders pointed their guns towards 

 them at the word ' Surrender.' As if struck by an 

 electric shock, the young men bounded off towards the 

 hills, and a discharge of musketry followed ; a bullet 

 grazed Drouin's hair and skin, whilst the Highlanders 

 seemed particularly anxious to catch Gravel, a very tall 

 youth. But fear adds wings, and soon they left 

 their pursuers in the rear ; the noise of shot fired after 

 them in the leaves got fainter and fainter, and after a 

 laborious race of three miles, they arrived quite exhausted 

 and speechless amongst their comrades. 



* 



" Quebec had surrundered. About the end of Sep- 

 tember the curt of Chateau-Kicher had arrived from 

 the' mountain, leading his flock, and set to work to erect 

 huts on the spot where their homes had previously 

 stood. The young folks felt delighted at again seeing 

 the banks of the St Lawrence ; the old men shed tears 

 at having lived to see the day when the English were 

 masters of the country ; the fathers of families pondered 

 sorrowfully over the waste and destruction which had 

 befallen their lands. Monsieur Crespin, N. P., was 

 cogitating on the legal difficulties which would surround 

 him if he had to. administer justice in the English lan- 

 guage ; it was doubly trying to a man of his years, after 

 the trouble he had taken to master the French tongue. 



