and took the only two ships remaining afloat. The others
had been blown up a month before by British shells fired
by naval gunners from Amherst's batteries. Drucour was
now in a terrible, plight. Not a ship was left. He was
completely cut off by land and sea. Many of his garrison
were dead, many more were lying sick or wounded. His
foreigners were ready for desertion. His French Canadians
had grown down-hearted. All the non-combatants wished
him to surrender at once. What else could he do but give
in? On July 27 he hauled down the fleurs-de-lis from the
great fortress. But he had gained his secondary object;
for it was now much too late in the year for the same
British force to begin a new campaign against Quebec.

Wolfe, like Nelson and Napoleon, was never content to
'let well enough alone,' if anything better could possibly
be done. When the news came of Montcalm's great victory
over Abercromby at Ticonderoga, he told Amherst he was
ready to march inland at once with reinforcements. And
after Louisbourg had surrendered and Boscawen had said
it was too late to start for Quebec, he again volunteered
to do any further service that Amherst required. The
service he was sent on was the soldier's most disgusting
duty; but he did it thoroughly, though he would have
preferred anything else. He went with Hardy's squadron
to destroy the French settlements along the Gulf of St
Lawrence, so as to cut off their supplies from the French
in Quebec before the next campaign.

After Rochefort Wolfe had become a marked man. After