Word had come to France that England was preparing to beseige Quebec that summer of 1759, and both sides knew it was to be a fight to the finish. Now as Peter Demo stood on the desk of the French ship bringing recruits, the twelve-year-old stowaway was bursting with excitement over his first view of the walled city built on a sheer cliff two hundred feet above the St. Lawrence. "The English are not flies," he said to himself, "that they can climb that rock!"

Although he knew that Quebec had been founded over a century and a half ago, Peter had expected a wilderness compared to France. But he found within the city walls gracious homes and people, and, outside, prosperous farms. Beyond were wild, majestic forests, and even the "savages" were loyal friends when treated fairly.

It was a fascinating country and Peter loved it fiercely from the very moment, just as he hated the treachery he soon discovered among his own countrymen. He was determined to do whatever he could to keep this new land safe for France. Though old for his years, he was yet too young to bear arms—and so he became a drummer boy, a very necessary part of the army, because orders were transmitted by special rolls and flourishes.

Peter served diligently and bravely all during the terrible battle on the Plains of Abraham, and survived. But this is not only a story of war; it is much more than that. Here is love of the land itself, beauty of many kinds of friendships, and hope that comes even in defeat at the hands of a merciful conqueror.

From the dust jacket