Betrayal (21 page)

‘So we must speak with the leaders of the, um, movement for freedom.’

‘
Los patriotas!
The patriots, Captain.’

‘Do you know them?’

‘These I know an’ hold close to my heart, sir.’

‘Very well. We would be much obliged should you go and inform them that the British leader desires a parley.’

Serrano’s eyes shone. ‘Is dangerous, but for freedom I do it.’

Kydd remembered that the man was wanted by the authorities and hesitated. ‘Not if it places you in hazard at all.’

‘I want to landing at Puerto del Inglés, Captain. At darkness.’

It seemed only fair to send for Renzi at this point. ‘Nicholas, your friend is assisting us by contacting the rebel band. Shall you want to supervise his arrangements at all?’

‘Vicente,’ Renzi said, with concern, ‘
mi amigo
, you are only to find the leader of the band and bring him to us. There’s no need to play the
temerario
in this.’ The young painter was so intense, so bound up with his place in the destiny of his country. Would he, like Wordsworth, be caught up in the roaring chaos of a nation in revolt and then be disillusioned with its price in blood and terror?

‘Is my duty, Nicholas. I playing my part.’

The exaltation had passed and there was now seriousness – and resolve. ‘But not so easy.
Los patriotas
they are many, but many leaders also. They quarrel, fight each other. I will tell them for the sake of freedom they must join in one.’

‘Then – would you wish it that we go together?’ In Renzi’s past he had seen his share of naïvety and treachery and feared for his young friend.

‘
No es posible.
Here is no place for the English gentleman. The country is raw and wicked, the people as untamed animals. No, is my duty, my glory.’

‘Then I honour you for it, Vicente. So, Puerto del Inglés, where is it at all?’

‘Ah, Maldonado, to the west twenty miles. Is where you English take on shore your smuggled goods to trade. A lagoon of seven mile protect and it have a pretty beach.’

‘Captain Kydd wishes to make contact as quickly as possible. You should be prepared to land in the darkness tonight. Are you ready?’

A knapsack of rations and a canteen of water was all he would accept, together with a stout boat-cloak and scarf, insisting he go entirely unarmed. It was Renzi who quietly pointed out that any documentation of authenticity provided by the commodore would be a death sentence if he was taken up by the authorities.

In the evening,
L’Aurore
ghosted into the bay. A boat was put in the water with Renzi and Serrano as passengers and they warily made for the point at the northern end of the beach, passing inshore fishermen in their curious flat boats, ignoring them as they worked. In the gathering gloom the boat doused sail and, under oars, hissed into the sand.

Serrano stood in the boat and hesitated, staring into the anonymous countryside with its wafting odour of dryness and cattle.

‘If you’d rather wait . . . ?’ Renzi offered.

He shook his head, made his way clumsily down the boat and dropped on to the beach, remembering to turn and lift a hand in farewell.

‘
Vaya con Dios, mi amigo
,’ called Renzi, in a low voice. He watched the man trudge up the beach and into the thickets.

‘F
lag, sir. All captains.’ It was Calloway, now holding a temporary warrant from the commodore as master’s mate after the death of Pearse. With a vacancy on the quarterdeck for a midshipman, the earnest Searle had been elevated, seeming young and vulnerable in the inherited uniform that hung about him.

‘Thank you,’ said Kydd. The summons was expected: at this critical point Popham had decided on a proper council-of-war, which had full legal standing – no mere gathering of opinion but the coming to a course of action that they would all agree upon. Then if there was a calamity, no one could claim they had known it all along and not been heard.

Diadem
’s great cabin was soon packed. At one end of the table athwart was the commodore, at the other Beresford, general officer in command of land forces. The naval captains were along one side, the army on the other.

‘Thank you for your attendance, gentlemen,’ Popham opened, with a broad smile. ‘This council-of-war now begins.’ One of his lieutenants sat to his right, taking note of the proceedings, a subaltern next to General Beresford doing the same.

‘Prospects for our success remain excellent, I’m happy to say. The strength of the enemy is as we heard before and there appears no reinforcement contemplated. Should we make our stroke with boldness and speed, we shall be able to avoid a protracted campaign.’

Beresford coughed discreetly. ‘That is all very well, sir, but may we be told where such information has come from? Do you have sources of intelligence among the Dons that can be trusted to reveal all to us?’

Popham looked pained. ‘Sir, as in most expeditions of my experience, the usual fishermen, merchants and others are well capable of providing a picture of their circumstances, which, taken in the round, can establish the situation better even than a lone spy or traitor. They have nothing to gain by giving false information, which will be discovered later, and everything to gain when it is over and we are in power.’

The general harrumphed but offered no further question.

‘I’m interested to know how your revolt is to be managed,’ rumbled Honyman. ‘Are they to play in our show? When will we know they’re of a mind to rise up and such?’

‘I’ve an envoy passed ashore to speak with the chief of the rebels, and another courtesy of Captain Kydd. Their task is to bring them to a meeting with ourselves with the object of co-ordinating our attack with their rising. Their instructions are to proceed with the utmost celerity.’

‘Have you communication from them?’

‘I expect it hourly, General.’

‘So, no word yet after three days. We cannot delay matters for them,’ Beresford came in sharply, ‘and, further, it’s my opinion that no reliance whatsoever be placed on the services of irregular troops, whatever their dedication. Are they to be under my express command? If not, then they cannot appear in my order of battle.’

‘Neither do we expect to see them there, sir,’ Popham replied smoothly. ‘Any accession to strength from these irregulars is to be welcomed but not relied upon. Our expectation is that any revolt will be more in the character of a general and spontaneous uprising in the population as a whole, following the example of our assault, which will go on to overwhelm the Spanish forces.’

‘Hmph,’ glowered Beresford. ‘Let us now consider the reduction of the Montevideo fortress. We’ve little enough in the way of siege engines and such, and you admitted before, did you not, that this is the chief stronghold for the entire River Plate?’ He looked about him significantly.

‘I’m not saying we’ve no chance of success, merely that our planning has to be meticulous. Therefore this is what I propose. We land well to the east, marching rapidly for a hooked advance from the interior instead of—’

Popham held up his hand. ‘Thank you, General. Before we discuss these details I wish to advise that in the light of recent intelligence I’ve been looking at quite another strategy as it offers itself.’

‘Recent intelligence?’ the general growled. ‘Should we not be told of this?’

‘All will become clear in a moment, sir,’ Popham said patiently. ‘The intelligence comes from an unimpeachable source – the chief pilot of the viceroyalty, lately taken. He may be considered the first major figure coming over to us. He’s laid before me the defensive situation of the Spanish, and this is that all their regular troops have been moved to Montevideo on the assumption that that city will be our objective.’

‘Any fool knows this.’

‘He further specifies that, as a consequence, the city of Buenos Aires is defenceless, a paltry militia battalion only.’

‘Are you seriously suggesting—’

‘It crosses my mind that as this is the chief city and seat of power, its loss will, at a blow, paralyse the Spanish and give heart to the people in their rising.’

‘This is a foolish notion that flies in the face of military science. To leave an enemy position of strength in the rear of one’s advance is of the first rank of idiocy and I cannot countenance such an act.’

‘Umm. Not only this, General, but you may not be aware that in the city treasury lie untold millions in silver that cannot be freighted to Spain for want of ships . . .’

There was an immediate stir of interest. ‘Purely out of curiosity, dear fellow, but should this be confiscated, for the Navy . . . will it be put forward as in the nature of, er, prize money?’ Captain Byng asked.

‘There is precedent, George. I rather feel that Droits of the Crown will not be asserted in this case,’ Popham murmured.

Another voice came in: ‘Ah. Then—’

‘Shall we get back to the matter in hand?’ Beresford broke in heavily. ‘Montevideo will not easily be taken by storm with the forces I have to command. Therefore we will—’

‘General. I have shown how a successful assault on the Spanish might be contemplated. Should we not consider this before going into operational details of any one stratagem?’

Beresford looked at him in amazement. ‘You really desire us to make a direct assault on the capital? With less than a thousand and a half under arms? Ridiculous! A city of what, thirty or forty thousand, a central fortress and an unknown number of defenders under the command of the viceroy himself? Preposterous!’

Popham leaned forward and spoke forcefully. ‘It’s effectively an open city for we’ve heard that it is drained of their best troops, who have gone to Montevideo. As well, it’s the last thing the Spanish expect, a rapid and direct move on their capital – and you’ve not considered the effect on the population of a confident and well-conducted thrust against their military. Recollect, sir, there has in history never yet been a full-scale field engagement on the soil of South America. Consequently their troops must be accounted quite untried and will certainly flee when confronted by soldiers of the quality of your Highlanders.’

‘A single bold stroke straight to the heart of the Spanish. I confess I do like it, sir.’

‘Thank you, Captain Honyman,’ Popham said modestly, and shifted his gaze to the captain of
L’Aurore
.

The talk of silver had disturbed Kydd. Renzi’s words about venal motives still echoed in his ears, but the attraction of a daring thrust straight for the centre over a methodical reduction in the usual way was undeniable. ‘I, er, agree,’ Kydd said, adding, ‘particularly as we haven’t the resources for a lengthy engagement.’

‘Quite!’ barked Beresford. ‘I would have thought it elementary that we first take Montevideo – if we can – before embarking on any other adventure.’

‘Few resources, yes,’ Popham said, with equal energy, ‘then how much better it would be to use these in going straight for Buenos Aires and leave Montevideo to wither alone.’

Colonel Pack was the first to speak up from the Army side. ‘Damn me if there isn’t some sense in what he says, sir. If we’re to be short o’ men, throw ’em at the main objective and be buggered to hanging back waiting.’

Beresford winced and looked about for support. Seeing none, he stiffened. ‘For the record of proceedings I want it known that my counsel is to take Montevideo and, defending same, to send dispatches to England advising reinforcement for a later assault on Buenos Aires.’

Kydd knew this was a course Popham would never take. The initiative would be lost and command would be passed to an Admiralty nominee who would succeed to the honour of taking the city, let alone the certainty of losing the opportunity while the Spanish warships were absent.

Popham gave a curt nod. ‘Thank you, sir. Your position is abundantly clear. However, also for the record, I’d be interested to know of the officers here how many would consider a direct assault on Buenos Aires preferable to a more . . . circumspect approach.’

Looks were exchanged around the table and hands went up hesitantly. Besides Kydd, all the Navy captains, save Donnelly of
Narcissus
, indicated support, with Pack leading more than half of the Army.

‘I see.’ Popham kept his tone level. ‘Then it appears this council-of-war has a majority agreement on the way forward for the operation. Gentlemen, there’s much to be covered in preparing for this assault and I propose that it be accomplished by forming two planning groups, one naval, for landing and support, and one army, for operations ashore. I shall head the naval. Might I ask General Beresford to head the army?’

Renzi was neither in the gunroom nor his cabin. Kydd hid his irritation and went on deck looking for him; he couldn’t set messengers to finding him because a captain’s summons would be relayed in the strongest terms – which was not what he wanted with his friend in the mood he had been under these past days.

After several blank looks at his enquiries he remembered that when the vessel was at anchor Renzi sometimes secured solitude, that prize above all things in a small ship, in one favoured place. Kydd made his way forward and swung up into the fore-ratlines, climbing up and over the futtock shrouds into the fore-top.