Chapters 17 and 18 Summary

Months go by, and Pluto has been towed to England, refitted and repaired, and returned to active duty. Leighton has decided to enter into a joint operation with Spanish loyalist forces to strike at a French-controlled stronghold. To this end, he holds a council of war aboard Pluto and announces that Hornblower will lead the English forces, largely because he alone is fluent in Spanish. The plan is complicated and heavily reliant upon flawless coordination. Leighton asks for opinions, and Hornblower, versed in Spanish processes, voices concern that the Spanish forces will prove undependable. Instead of taking the opinion at face value, Leighton interprets it as a personal attack and accuses Hornblower of disloyalty. Hornblower retreats and does not comment further.

Two nights later the squadron closes with the shore and many cannon are landed from Sutherland. Hornblower goes ashore and...