so, Lisbon would be at the mercy of Victor and of the army corps at
Salamanca. Cuesta is, what he calls, watching Victor. He is one of the
most obstinate and pigheaded of all the generals. Victor will crush him
without difficulty, and could be at Lisbon long before we could get back
from Oporto. No, Lisbon is the key of the situation; there are very strong
positions on the range of hills between the river and the sea at Torres
Vedras, which could be held against greatly superior forces. The town
itself is protected by strong forts, which have been greatly strengthened
since we came. The men-of-war can come up to the town, aid in its defence,
and bring reinforcements; and provisions can be landed at all times.

"The loss of Lisbon would be a death-blow to Portuguese independence, and
you may be sure that the ministry at home would eagerly seize the
opportunity of abandoning the struggle here altogether. Do you know that
at the present moment, while urging Sir John Cradock to take the offensive
with only 15,000 men against the whole army of France in the Peninsula,
they have had the folly to send a splendid expedition of from thirty to
forty thousand good troops to Holland, where they will be powerless to do
any good, while their presence here would be simply invaluable. Well, we
will not enter upon that subject to-night; the folly and the incapacity of
Mr. Canning and his crew is a subject that, once begun, would keep one
talking until morning."


CHAPTER XIII

AN AWKWARD POSITION

When Captain Nelson and Terence went out, just as the morning was
breaking, they found the two troopers waiting in the street. Each held a