VICTORIOUS




CHAPTER VIII

EPILOGUE--THE LAST STAND

Wolfe's victory on the Plains of Abraham proved decisive
in the end; but it was not the last of the great struggle
for the Key of Canada.

After Wolfe had died on the field of battle, and Monckton
had been disabled by his wounds, Townshend took command,
received the surrender of Quebec on the 18th, and waited
till the French field army had retired towards Montreal.
Then he sailed home with Saunders, leaving Murray to hold
what Wolfe had won. Saunders left Lord Colville in charge
of a strong squadron, with orders to wait at Halifax till
the spring.

Both French and British spent a terrible winter. The
French had better shelter in Montreal than the British
had among the ruins of Quebec; and, being more accustomed
to the rigours of the climate, they would have suffered
less from cold in any case. But their lot was, on the
whole, the harder of the two; for food was particularly
bad and scarce in Montreal, where even horseflesh was
thought a luxury. Both armies were ravaged by disease to