Fire and Sword

‘General Kellerma

His English was good, Arthur noted, though there was a faint accent to it that he could not immediately place.

‘Sir Hew Dalrymple at yours.’ The British commander returned the bow with a nod and gestured to the two men at his side. ‘May I present Sir Harry Burrard, my second in command, and Sir Arthur Wellesley.’

Kellerma

‘Ah, yes . . .’ Dalrymple replied awkwardly. ‘The truth is that I have only just arrived, General.You were defeated by General Wellesley.’

Kellerma

‘General Burrard did not reach the field until after the battle was as good as won,’ Dalrymple explained.

‘Ah, I see.’ Kellerma

Arthur bowed in return, sensing the irritation of both his superiors.

Dalrymple cleared his throat. ‘Yes, well, you’d better come inside the tent, General Kellerma

He led the way inside and the three British officers took their seats behind the table while Kellerma

‘Now then,’ Dalrymple began, ‘you wish to discuss terms for an armistice.’

‘Yes, sir. My superior, General Junot, has authorised me to negotiate for the complete withdrawal of French forces from Portugal.’

Dalrymple’s eyebrows rose. ‘The surrender of Portugal?’

‘In effect, sir, yes.’ Kellerma

‘Your command of our tongue is commendable,’ said Arthur. ‘But I ca

Kellerma

‘Ah!’ Burrard nodded. ‘That explains the coarseness of the accent.’

‘For which I apologise.’ Kellerma

Dalrymple looked at the document before passing it on to Burrard, and then Arthur read through it. Junot proposed to surrender every fortress and town in Portugal and evacuate the country. In return he asked that his gallant and generous British opponents should permit the repatriation of his army to France, together with all its equipment and property. When he had finished Arthur lowered the document and looked up at Kellerma

Dalrymple slid the document back in front of him. ‘This would appear to be a reasonable basis on which to proceed. Of course the precise details would need to be discussed.’

‘Indeed,’ Arthur added, fixing his gaze on Kellerma

‘Alas, since the French fleet was defeated by your Lord Nelson our navy has not been equal to the tasks requested of it. So it would seem most reasonable to ask that the army is conveyed to a home port by British ships.’

‘British ships?’ Arthur was astonished. ‘In British ships? Out of the question.’

‘Restrain yourself, please,Wellesley,’ Dalrymple said firmly, and spoke to Kellerma

The Frenchman shrugged. ‘It is the quickest way to remove our soldiers from Portugal. Of course, if you would be prepared to wait until a sufficient force of French warships was ready to carry them away . . .’

That would delay the surrender of Portugal for at least a month, Arthur realised. Plenty of time for fresh French columns to arrive from Spain and continue the struggle. The point was clear to all, and Dalrymple nodded.

‘Agreed. There is a convoy of merchant ships, as well as Admiral Cotton’s squadron, lying at anchor. They should suffice for the task.’

‘That is good.’ The Frenchman smiled. ‘I am sure your navy will carry out the task with their customary efficiency.’

‘You can count on it.’

‘Now, is there anything else you wish to query, sir?’ Kellerma

‘Now?’ Dalrymple was taken aback by the sudden challenge.

‘I see no reason why not, sir. There is no need to delay the completion of your conquest of Portugal.’

‘Liberation,’Arthur interrupted.‘We are here to liberate Portugal, not conquer it.We are not Frenchmen.’

‘Tsk, Wellesley,’ Dalrymple muttered. ‘There’s no call for that.’

‘I disagree, sir. There is a world of difference between liberation and conquest. Or at least there should be.’

‘Liberation then,’ Kellerma

‘Yes.Yes, I suppose so.You may leave, Burrard, and you too,Wellesley. Wait for us outside.’

‘Perhaps it would be better for us to remain here, sir,’ Arthur suggested. ‘In case any of the finer points require further discussion.’

‘I am quite capable of making my own decisions, thank you,’ Dalrymple said coldly.‘Now be so good as to leave General Kellerma

Arthur stared back at him for a moment and then nodded slowly. ‘Yes, sir.’

For the next hour Arthur sat in the shade of an awning a short distance from the tent. From there he had a good view over the slope that had been so hotly contested the day before. Today all was quiet, but the traces of the battle were plain to see: gouges in the earth and rock where ca