was a tense moment on board of Durell's squadron and in
Carleton's camp, in the pale, grey light of early morning,
as the bugles sounded, the boatswains blew their whistles
and roared their orders, and all hands came tumbling up
from below and ran to battle quarters with a rush of
swift bare feet. But the incoming vanship made the private
British signal, and both sides knew that all was well.

For a whole week the great fleet of one hundred and
forty-one ships worked their way through the narrow
channel between Isle-aux-Coudres and the north shore,
and then dared the dangers of the Traverse, below the
island of Orleans, where the French had never passed more
than one ship at a time, and that only with the greatest
caution. The British went through quite easily, without
a single accident. In two days the great Captain Cook
had sounded and marked out the channel better than the
French had in a hundred and fifty years; and so thoroughly
was his work done that the British officers could handle
their vessels in these French waters better without than
with the French pilots. Old Captain Killick took the
_Goodwill_ through himself, just next ahead of the
_Richmond_, on board of which was Wolfe. The captured
French pilot in the _Goodwill_ was sure she would be lost
if she did not go slow and take more care. But Killick
laughed at him and said: 'Damn me, but I'll convince you
an Englishman can go where a Frenchman daren't show his
nose!' And he did.

On June 26 Wolfe arrived at the west end of the island