They made, however, no
attempt to use them. A week passed, when, on the evening of the
fifteenth, the ship of the line "Vanguard" and the frigate "Diana"
sailed into the harbor; and on the next morning the "Diana" and
the "Lowestoffe" passed the town to attack the French vessels
in the river above. These were six in all,--two frigates, two
smaller armed ships, and two schooners; the whole under command
of the gallant Vauquelin. He did not belie his reputation; fought
his ship with persistent bravery till his ammunition was spent,
refused even then to strike his flag, and being made prisoner,
was treated by his captors with distinguished honor. The
other vessels made little or no resistance. One of them threw
her guns overboard and escaped; the rest ran ashore and
were burned.
The destruction of his vessels was a death-blow to the
hopes of Levis, for they contained his stores of food and
ammunition. He had passed the preceding night in great agitation;
and when the cannonade on the river ceased, he hastened to raise the
siege. In the evening deserters from hiscamp told Murray that the
French were in full retreat; on which all the English batteries
opened, firing at random through the darkness, and sending cannon-balls
_en ricochet_, bowling by scores together, over the Plains of
Abraham on the heels of the retiring enemy. Murray marched out at
dawn of day to fall upon their rear; but, with a hundred and
fifty cannon bellowing behind them, they had made such speed that,
though he pushed over the marsh to Old Lorette, he could not overtake
them; they had already crossed the river of Cap-Rouge.
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