Back on board the Indy, Horatio gives his report to Captain Pellew. Despite his best efforts, he cannot stop a few tears from falling as he asks his captain why they were there: they weren't wanted, and all that was accomplished was devastation and death. Obviously moved, Pellew confesses his own sense of guilt over what has ocurred, but then tells his young lieutenant that, whatever occurs to them personally, they must be a source of encouragement and inspiration to their men. The final scene is of Horatio and Archie high in the rigging, letting the fresh sea air clear the stench of what has passed out of their lungs and minds.
In Muzillac, they are met by the mayor, whom Moncoutant incredulously identifies as a local tradesman. The Marquis, already enraged by the thought of a peasant running his town, completely loses it when, entering his formerly luxurious home, he finds it in ruins. The locals are using his paintings and books as fuel for the fire, as they "serve no useful purpose." I must confess, I feel my first- and last- twinge of sympathy for him at this moment. He orders all the townspeople gathered, and then commands the mayor to take down the Republic's flag. When the man refuses and starts singing La Marseillaise, the people join in, until their sing-a-long is cut short by Moncoutant shooting the mayor. He then attempts to shoot a child who keeps on singing, until stopped by Hornblower. Apparently not a music lover. He obviously isn't a fan of educating the masses either, as he orders his men to smash up the town school. Horatio, seeing soldiers driving the children and their teacher into the street, is inclined to put up a fight, but Major Edrington pulls him away, rightly pointing out that they're not in a position to do anything about it. Hornblower is still stewing about it at dinner that evening, but Moncoutant seems oblivious to this- or uncaring- as he is as obnoxious as possible during the meal. He speaks about the young teacher, who has now been forced to work as his servant, as if she isn't in the room, and treats her disrespectfully. Horatio bristles at this, and when Moncoutant mockingly accuses him of being a republican, he loses his temper and says what he thinks of the Marquis' behaviour. Hornblower then excuses himself from the table and stalks out of the house, where he runs into Mariette, the pretty young school teacher. He offers to see her home safely, and escorts her to her house/school, where he helps her clean up and somehow ends up kissing her. Their tender moment is interrupted by some drunken French soldiers pounding on the door, trying to get at Mariette. Horatio spends the night there- sleeping in a chair- to protect her. He awakens to the sound of gunfire coming from the bridge, and arrives there to find a small number of republican soldiers are taking shots at the men holding the bridge. Kennedy, already jumpy and on edge, overreacts to this, and has the sailors firing wildly at the unseen Frenchmen. Hornblower orders the men to stop wasting shot, and Archie calms down and regains control. Curiously, downriver Major Edrington and his men are facing the same scenario: a few French troops shooting from hiding. They seem mostly interested in getting the British troops to waste time and ammunition. Edrington and Hornblower find this suspicious, but have no choice but to continue following their orders. They are in agreement that they can expect nothing from Moncoutant, who has shown himself to be volatile and erratic. This is certainly true, as we see when Horatio returns to the town and the carnage there. Moncoutant has set up his precious guillotine, and is happily executing many of the townsmen. Hornblower tries to get him to apply himself to setting up a line of defense against possible attack, which was their purpose in being sent to Muzillac to begin with. The Marquis, however, is completely uninterested, saying dismissively that the British soldiers can handle it... his own men are needed to round up and execute his victims. Trying to figure out what exactly is going on, Horatio scouts around, and finds evidence that a sizeable French force passed through a short time before their arrival. He returns to the town, where the slaughter continues unabated, and questions Mariette. At first she refuses to tell him anything- why should she aid the force which is causing so much misery to her people? But when Horatio makes it clear his survival depends on it, she tells him what he wants to know. The republican troops came through Muzillac several days before the British arrived, on their way to meet General de Charette's force which- surprise, surprise- they knew was coming. Hornblower realizes this has all been a trap and Charette's army is doomed. This is all too true, as we see in various cutaways to Charette's force and the Indefatigable. Heading inland, Master Bowles finds it odd that they have not met with any resistence... it all seems a bit too easy. Charette, however, takes this as a sign that the people are on their side. His touching naivete proves fatal as they are met by a much larger republican force. Charette and his men fight bravely, but are wiped out. Bowles survives by pretending to be among the slain, then killing one of the Frenchmen, donning his uniform, and escaping on a stolen horse. Meanwhile on the Indy, Pellew has had time to consider the situation while waiting for word. Specifically, it took three ships to transport the royalist forces there, but only the Indy was ordered to remain. Obviously, if things go badly, the Admiralty has calculated that there won't be many men left alive to retreat. Then, as they hear the sound of heavy artillery in the distance, Pellew realizes that what he has feared all along has occurred. After waiting in vain for survivors to return, it becomes obvious that no one is coming. Pellew decides to disobey his orders, leave Quiberon Bay, and return to aid Hornblower and the others. Unfortunately, the ship is becalmed... there is no wind. Unwilling to wait, Pellew orders the men out in jolly boats: they will tow the Indy until they get a wind. Overcome with a sense of urgency, Pellew doffs his coat and takes his place at an oar with his men. Back at Muzillac, the bridge is still under fire, but Archie is in control of himself and the situation now, and is even able to calm a panicky Oldroyd. Hornblower reports back to Edrington and tells him what he's learned. In the distance, they locate the oncoming French army, fresh from their victory over Charette's men. Realizing that they are vastly outnumbered and outgunned, Hornblower and Edrington decide their only option is to blow up the bridge and retreat to the beach. Edrington and his men head for the bridge, while Horatio goes to the town to warn Moncoutant, for all the good it will do. Indeed, the Marquis continues with his executions even as the republican troops near the town. Only when Horatio forces him to does he take action. Hornblower urges him to retreat to the bridge with the British troops, but Moncoutant refuses to leave his town. He and his men make a futile stand, and Hornblower stays to help, out of a misplaced sense of duty. As they are overcome, Horatio manages to make his way to Mariette's house, and the last we see of Moncoutant, he is being carted off to the guillotine- hoist on his own petard, so to speak. Horatio convinces Mariette to escape with him, and they jump from a window, but Mariette sprains her ankle, slowing them down. At the bridge, the British soldiers and sailors are all across, and they are ready to blow it up. They are holding off in hopes that Hornblower will make it, but Edrington finally reluctantly tells Kennedy to light the fuse. Archie tries, but can't bring himself to condemn Horatio to certain death, so Matthews steps forward and gently takes over, firing the powder. Right after he does so, however, they see Hornblower heading for the bridge, supporting Mariette and closely followed by French soldiers, who unfortunately manage to shoot her. As Horatio kneels over her body, Archie sprints across the bridge and pulls Horatio up, and the two of them race across the bridge right before it explodes. Knowing that this has only bought them some time, they head for the beach, Edrington quietly telling Kennedy to look after the distraught Hornblower. On the shore, they are caught between the sea and the advancing French army. As they turn to face the oncoming troops, Bowles comes riding up the beach to join them. Suddenly, there is the sound of cannon fire, and a bunch of the French soldiers go flying. The Indefatigable has arrived just in time and saves the day. Back on board the Indy, Horatio gives his report to Captain Pellew. Despite his best efforts, he cannot stop a few tears from falling as he asks his captain why they were there: they weren't wanted, and all that was accomplished was devastation and death. Obviously moved, Pellew confesses his own sense of guilt over what has ocurred, but then tells his young lieutenant that, whatever occurs to them personally, they must be a source of encouragement and inspiration to their men. The final scene is of Horatio and Archie high in the rigging, letting the fresh sea air clear the stench of what has passed out of their lungs and minds. Related Posts:
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