He turned away from the side rail and called down the gangway for his steward to fetch his coat, hat and sword. As he checked his appearance in the small mirror held out by his steward a string of flags broke from the halyard of St Leger’s vessel.
The first mate of the Indiaman translated the signal. ‘Officer commanding to captains and senior army officers, repair aboard immediately.’
The heat in the cabin was stifling, even though the stern windows stood open and the vents on the skylight had been raised to admit whatever breeze was wafting over the anchored vessel. General St Leger, wearing a loose shirt, raised the dispatch he had received.
‘Bad news, I’m afraid, gentlemen. A French army, commanded by General Bonaparte, has knocked Austria out of the war. They’ve agreed preliminary terms and by now it is likely that the treaty is signed and sealed. The War Office in London has sent warnings to all our forces to expect increased French activity, now that they are free to concentrate their efforts outside Europe. A squadron of warships left Toulon back in April, and our spies claim that it was bound for Mauritius. If that is the case then they will be ready to operate against our naval and commercial shipping as early as September, a mere few weeks from now.’
‘Then we must proceed to Manila at once, sir,’ said Arthur. ‘Before they can arrive in these waters.’
‘Wait.’ The general brandished the letter again. ‘There’s more. The French navy is not the only threat, nor perhaps the most dangerous. The Goveror General has had fresh intelligence from his sources in Mysore. It seems that a small party of French officers arrived in Seringapatam at the end of June. They offered an alliance to Tipoo and possibly some form of assistance, be it money or weapons. Soon after they arrived Tipoo issued orders for the massing of his forces at Seringapatam. In view of this new threat Sir John has instructed us to reconsider the assault on Manila. IfTipoo decides to attack then our forces will be needed to subdue him. So I must decide whether to return to India, or proceed with the attempt to take Manila.’
The general dropped the dispatch on to the table and sat down. His officers sat in silence for a moment as they considered the situation outlined to them. One of the commanders of the Company battalions, Colonel Stephens, leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. ‘What are your intentions, sir?’
‘My intentions?’ St Leger looked faintly bemused. ‘Why, to listen to the advice of my senior officers, of course.’
‘Sir, Manila is but a few days’ sail from here. At the moment I am confident we could take the place easily enough. But the longer we sit here, the better their chances of frustrating us.’
‘I’m aware of that, Stephens.’
‘Then we must strike quickly, sir. Take Manila, garrison it, then return here to await further orders.’
‘And what if Tipoo attacks while we are engaged at Manila?’
‘You know how those native armies are, sir. It will be some months yet before Tipoo is ready to take the field against us.’
‘That is true,’ the general conceded, and Stephens, sensing that his commander was wavering, pressed home his opinion.
‘Then continue with the operation against Manila, while we still have the advantage over the Spanish. Sir, we must not let Sir John’s timidity overrule sound judgement. Manila is ripe for the plucking, and with it most of Spain’s possessions in the East Indies. We’d be fools to let the chance of a great victory slip through our fingers for want of resolve - on the part of Sir John,’ he added quickly. ‘Strike now, sir, and snatch Spain’s prize colony for England.’ He slapped his hand down on the table. ‘That’s my advice, sir.’
Arthur had been listening to the exchange with a growing sense of despair at the fragility of his commander’s authority, and now he cleared his throat and shook his head. The general spotted the gesture at once.
‘What is your opinion, Colonel Wesley?’
Arthur quickly ordered his thoughts before he replied.
‘Sir, it is true that the best chance of taking Manila is now. If there is a strong force of French warships in the area they could make good use of Manila as a base of operations, in which case it would be foolhardy for us to attempt any attack on the place. Their ships would blow these Indiamen out of the water long before we could land our troops.We may only have a short time left in which it is practical to continue the operation. If you are to attack you must do it swiftly.’
‘There!’ Stephens nodded approvingly. ‘You see, sir? Now is the time for boldness.’
‘I haven’t finished,’ Arthur cut in firmly. ‘While there may be truth in what has been said, we have to consider other possibilities. What if we do take Manila, at great cost; or, worse, what if we are rebuffed and forced to retreat? Then we will have lost many men who may be needed if there is a war with Tipoo. Worse still, once word of our failure leaks out to the other principalities and states in India we will lose face, and that might be enough to spur the warlords who are still undecided about joining Tipoo to declare war on us. If you proceed to Manila, and fail, then you will be damned by those men back in England who will judge your actions.’
General St Leger stirred uncomfortably in his seat. ‘Damned if I do and damned to be forgotten by posterity if I don’t.’
‘Sir,’ Colonel Stephens leaned forward. ‘You have Manila in your grasp. All that remains is to pluck it.’
The general sat back and rubbed his forehead wearily. ‘I will let you know my decision as soon as I’ve considered the options. You may return to your ships.’
The men on the vessels anchored around the general’s Indiaman did not have long to wait. Scarcely half an hour after Arthur had returned from the flagship, signal flags rose up the halyards. Arthur and Fitroy turned to the first mate for an explanation.
‘All ships, prepare to make sail. Course, west by north,’ the mate intoned.
‘What does it mean?’ Fitzroy asked as the first orders were bellowed across the deck of the transport and the sailors went to their stations.
The mate scratched his chin.‘It means that we’re heading back to Calcutta.’
‘Calcutta . . .’ Fitzroy repeated quietly in a tone of disgust. ‘What a bloody waste of time.’
Arthur pressed his lips together. Once again, another chance to win his spurs had been snatched away from him.The war was likely to be over long before he could prove himself, and the only prospect that the future would hold out for him would be an undistinguished oblivion. He cursed the latest twist of fate with all his heart, and bitterly began to wonder how much more he could have achieved if only he had been one of the blessed few young soldiers who were the darlings of fate, like that damned fortunate Frenchman, Bonaparte.
Chapter 27
Napoleon
Paris, December 1797
The treaty that France had signed with Austria at Campo Formio brought peace to Europe, for the moment. Only the old enemy, England, remained, watching warily from the other side of the Channel. When Napoleon and Junot returned to his modest home on Rue Chantereine Napoleon was surprised to see how quickly the people of Paris had responded to peace. The shop windows were full of luxury items and well-dressed dandies and their ladies walked the streets cheek by jowl with the dowdy masses, almost as if there had never been a revolution. Expensive carriages rattled over the cobbled boulevards, weaving through the pedestrians and sedan chairs.
‘You’d never guess this was the same city described by Augereau,’ Junot muttered. ‘I thought the place was supposed to be simmering on the edge of a violent uprising.’