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LESSON 35 The siege of Quebec
第三十五课 围攻魁北克
The closing scene of French dominion in Canada was marked by circumstances of deep and peculiar interest. The pages of romance can furnish no more striking episode than the Battle of Quebec. The skill and daring of the plan which brought on the combat, and the success and fortune of its execution, are unparalleled. A broad, open plain, offering no advantages to either party, was the field of fight. The contending armies were nearly equal in military strength, if not in numbers. The chiefs of both were men already of honourable fame. France trusted firmly in the wise and chivalrous Montcalm: England trusted hopefully in the young and heroic Wolfe. The magnificent stronghold which was staked upon the issue of the strife stood close at hand. For miles and miles around, the prospect extended over as fair a land as ever rejoiced the sight of man—mountain and valley, forest and waters, city and solitude, grouped together in forms of almost ideal beauty.
那些深刻却又奇妙的事情标志着法国在加拿大统治的结束。在这些事件中，最有名的就是魁北克战役。战争中使用的计划之灵巧勇敢以及计划实施起来的成功使无与伦比的。这场战役的战场在一篇开阔的大平原上，这对双方都没有利。除了人数，两军实力相当。双方的首领都是德高望重之人。法军的统帅是有勇有谋的蒙特卡姆，而英军则把希望寄托在年轻的英雄乌尔夫身上。双方的大本营都在战场附近。周围数英里内的风光是别处所无法比拟的——山川河流，森林河谷，城市乡村，这些景象加在一起简直是人间仙境。
Quebec stands on the slope of a lofty eminence on the left bank of the St. Lawrence. A table-land extends westward from the citadel for about nine miles. The portion of the heights nearest the town on the west is called the Plains of Abraham. Wolfe had discovered a narrow path winding up the side of the steep precipice from the river. For miles on either side there was no other possible access to the heights. Up this narrow path Wolfe decided to lead secretly his whole army, and make the plains his battle-ground!
魁北克位于圣劳伦斯河左岸的山坡上。城堡向西是一块平地，绵延约九英里。西边最靠近城镇的哪一部分叫亚伯拉罕平原。乌尔夫发现了一条小径，从河里一直绵延在陡峭的绝壁上。要想登上这块高地，除了这条路，方圆数英里内都找不到其它的路。乌尔夫打算率领全军从这条羊肠小道上去，在平原上与敌作战。
The extraordinary daring of the enterprise was its safety. The wise and cautious Montcalm had guarded against all the probable chances of war; but he was not prepared against an attempt for which the pages of romance can scarcely furnish a parallel.
这个计划最大的问题就是其安全性。聪明又小心的蒙特卡姆已经在所有可能的路口拍了岗哨；但是他没有想到这一点，这一点也恰恰是他们不可比拟的。
