Lawrence. Meantime, while doing their best to
compass each other's destruction, neither side forgot the
courtesies of war. Levis heard that Murray liked spruce-beer
for his table, and sent him a flag of truce with a quantity of
spruce-boughs and a message of compliment; Murray responded
with a Cheshire cheese, and Levis rejoined with a present of
partridges.
Bad and scanty fare, excessive toil, and broken sleep were
telling ominously on the strength of the garrison when, on the
ninth of May, Murray, as he sat pondering over the fire at
his quarters in St. Louis Street, was interrupted by an officer
who came to tell him that there was a ship-of-war in the
Basin beating up towards the town. Murray started from his
revery, and directed that British colors should be raised immediately
on Cape Diamond.[834] The halyards being out of order, a sailor
climbed the staff and drew up the flag to its place. The news had
spread; men and officers, divided between hope and fear, crowded
to the rampart by the Chateau, where Durham Terrace now overlooks
the St. Lawrence, and every eye was strained on the approaching ship,
eager to see whether she would show the red flag of England or the
white one of France. Slowly her colors rose to the mast-head and
unfurled to the wind the red cross of St. George. It was the
British frigate "Lowestoffe." She anchored before the Lower
Town, and saluted the garrison with twenty-one guns.
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