Captain Pellew, who is in charge of the transports, believes the theft of the orders to be the work of French revolutionary spies and begs his superiors to call off the invasion, but they ignore him and the army sets off.
The French officer in charge of the royalist forces in the area, Colonel Marquis de Moncoutant, held feudal authority over the region prior to the revolution.
After saving a young boy from de Moncoutant, Hornblower meets his sister Mariette, a schoolteacher who is fluent in English.
After Pellew commands Indefatigable to sail closer so the crew can reach the withdrawing troops, he throws off his coat and mans an oar to help maneuver the rescue boat near enough to shore for them to board.
When Hornblower asks why they had to take part in a mission doomed to fail, Pellew reminds him that officers are duty-bound to follow orders, whatever they may be.