Summary Chapter 8 Summary

The village quiets down while soldiers rest and tend to the wounded. Others prowl through the bodies searching for valuables. Tarrant approaches Sharpe and tells him he has heard about the court of inquiry. He doesn't understand why it is happening because Sharpe killed two French soldiers. Sharpe explains it is about politics. General Valverde wants to become Generalissimo of Spain but as long as Wellington is appointed head of both the English and the Spanish armies he will not have that post. Valverde has to prove that it is not in the best interest of the Spanish army to have a British leader.

His argument is that Sharpe killed two of Loup's men in front of him and thus provoked Loup's attack on San Cristobal resulting in the deaths of so many Portuguese. This, he claims, is proof that the...