Hornblower, The Frogs, and the Lobsters Summary

Indefatigable is assigned to transport and support a contingent of British soldiers led by His Lordship, the Earl of Edrington, a major. Edrington's forces augment a larger but less disciplined French loyalist force led by The Marquis of Pouzauges, a Brigadier General of His Most Christian Majesty Louis XVII. As Hornblower speaks some French, he is assigned to be the liaison between Edrington and Pouzauges. The men are loaded onto Indefatigable and other transports and cross the English channel, landing at Quiberon. The forces debark and unload considerable equipage, including a guillotine. They then march overland to the village of Muzillac where they are joined by additional forces.

Hornblower finds the relative sizes of the invading forces to be particularly small and wonders how success can be achieved. Nevertheless, he accompanies the forces...