Amherst out of Canada. All he had to do was to hold Quebec
throughout the summer. The autumn would force the British
fleet to leave for ice-free waters. Then, if Quebec could
only be held, a change in the fortunes of war, or a treaty
of peace, might still keep Canada in French hands. Wolfe
had either to tempt Montcalm out of Quebec or get into
it himself; and he soon realized that he would have to
do this with the help of Saunders alone; for Amherst in
the south was crawling forward towards Montreal so slowly
that no aid from him could be expected.

Montcalm's position certainly looked secure for the
summer. His left flank was guarded by the Montmorency,
a swift river that could be forded only by a few men at
a time in a narrow place, some miles up, where the dense
bush would give every chance to his Indians and Canadians.
His centre was guarded by entrenchments running from the
Montmorency to the St Charles, six miles of ground, rising
higher and higher towards Montmorency, all of it defended
by the best troops and the bulk of the army, and none of
it having an inch of cover for an enemy in front. The
mouth of the St Charles was blocked by booms and batteries.
Quebec is a natural fortress; and above Quebec the high,
steep cliffs stretched for miles and miles. These cliffs
could be climbed by a few men in several places; but
nowhere by a whole army, if any defenders were there in
force; and the British fleet could not land an army
without being seen soon enough to draw plenty of defenders
to the same spot. Forty miles above Quebec the St Lawrence
channel narrows to only a quarter of a mile, and the down