Epilogue and Historical Note Summary

Cochrane keeps his promise to Sharpe and has Don Blas brought to Valdivia. He also arranges for Sharpe, Harper, and Don Blas to be transported to Europe. The night before their departure, Cochrane entertains Sharpe and Harper and gives them two chests full of coins.

On the voyage home to Europe, Don Blas is depressed, and Sharpe does his best to comfort his friend. On the way, the captain of the ship asks if Sharpe would like to stop in Saint Helena. Sharpe agrees because he would like to know if Cochrane's plan to rescue Napoleon worked.

When the ship docks in Saint Helena, Sharpe again meets Lieutenant Roland Hardacre, the same young man he met the first time in Saint Helena. Sharpe learns that the O' Higgins did indeed arrive in Saint Helena, at about the...