Take, Burn or Destroy by Peter Youds

Author:Peter Youds [Youds, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bicorn
Published: 2016-11-28T05:00:00+00:00

The navy’s Lieutenant Chamberlayne took the Cherwell to within a few miles of the Buenos Aires side. Liking neither the shoals nor the prospect of being shot at by a Spanish 24-pounder battery, he suggested that Blunt and Campbell go on by ship’s boat. They were rowed towards the shore, Campbell clutching a large white flag of truce. Once they were some distance from the Cherwell a Spanish gunboat appeared. It too carried a white flag, but there were also a couple of nasty-looking heavy guns in the bows.

‘Travel hopefully, eh, Blunt?’ said Campbell cheerfully.

The captain, who continued to have the uncomfortable feeling that he was pushing his luck by putting himself in the hands of the enemy, however crucial their mission, said nothing. He kept his eye on the approaching Spaniards.

‘The fellow who seems to be the captain is smiling, at least,’ Campbell observed. ‘You speak the patois, Blunt, would you mind?’

On being told that the British officers had despatches for Admiral Liniers, the Spanish captain politely invited them to come aboard his vessel and told them to send their crew back to the Cherwell. A white flag would be raised onshore as a signal for the boat to return for them once their business in the city was complete. Collecting a guard of soldiers as the gunboat tied up at the mole, the navy officer escorted the two redcoats through the streets to the Castillo de San Miguel. It felt odd to Blunt to be returning to the scene of their surrender, as well as the recent dramatic escape, but he tried to keep his mind on the business at hand. Spotting the red coats and the white flag, a number of locals fell in behind the truce party. At the fortress itself, off-duty officers emerged hearing the whisper that the British had sent an emissary. Blunt and Campbell ignored the Spaniards. They entered the palace. Soon they had been brought before Santiago de Liniers himself. The new viceroy appeared to have broken off from some kind of meeting.

‘Why, it is Captain Blunt, is it not?’

‘Your servant, sir.’

Liniers’ expression was cold. ‘Indeed? I believed that rather than being my servant you were my prisoner.’

Blunt, who was actually being jostled by Spanish officers, so many had crammed into the room to see the enemy soldiers, did what he could to stay calm. He looked Liniers in the eye. ‘I sheathed my sword on a false premise, Admiral. I think you know all about that. But that is in the past and we are come to discuss a different peace. Major Campbell has despatches for you.’

Clearly not minded to bandy words about the questionable treatment of Beresford and his men, the governor took the letters and began to read. All the while Blunt and Campbell were being pushed by the hostile Spaniards who were pressing around them.

‘Keep calm, Major,’ Blunt hissed at the Scot. ‘Our situation is very tight. They’d like nothing better than an excuse to spike you, the brutes.

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