de Rivarol
determined the terms of the capitulation.
This was a slight that at another time Captain Blood would not have
borne for a moment. But at present, in his odd frame of mind, and
its divorcement from piracy, he was content to smile his utter
contempt of the French General. Not so, however, his captains, and
still less his men. Resentment smouldered amongst them for a while,
to flame out violently at the end of that week in Cartagena. It was
only by undertaking to voice their grievance to the Baron that their
captain was able for the moment to pacify them. That done, he went
at once in quest of M. de Rivarol.
He found him in the offices which the Baron had set up in the town,
with a staff of clerks to register the treasure brought in and to
cast up the surrendered account-books, with a view to ascertaining
precisely what were the sums yet to be delivered up. The Baron
sat there scrutinizing ledgers, like a city merchant, and checking
figures to make sure that all was correct to the last peso. A
choice occupation this for the General of the King's Armies by
Sea and Land.
Pages:
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560