Napoleon shut his eyes for a moment. With one blow the English had shattered French naval power in the Mediterranean, and severed the link between Napoleon’s army and France.Very well then, he concluded, that was the situation. What mattered now was surviving the consequences. His eyes flickered open.

‘Berthier, take a note.’

His chief of staff hurriedly opened a fresh page of his pocket book and fumbled in his jacket for a pencil. He sat down on a rock and waited for Napoleon to begin.

‘Tell Kléber to have some boats armed to patrol the harbours at Alexandria. If the Royal Navy is still out there, it’s possible they will attempt a cutting-out raid against what is left of our fleet. Have Marmont’s brigade moved up to Rosetta in case the English attempt any landings there. Then find a small ship, something fast, and have a warning sent to our forces in Malta. The ship is then to continue to France to convey the news of Admiral Brueys’s defeat. Got all that?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘There’s one other matter to deal with. I must write a letter to the Sultan in Constantinople. Talleyrand should be close to concluding a treaty with Turkey by now. If I can reassure the Sultan that we are operating in his interests, then he might not be tempted to take advantage of this temporary setback.’

Berthier paused and looked up. ‘Temporary setback, sir?’

‘This.’ Napoleon gestured vaguely towards the bay. ‘The fleet had already served its purpose, in getting my army here safely.We can, and shall, manage without them.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Berthier turned his attention back to his pocket book. ‘Anything else?’

Napoleon nodded. ‘A message needs to be sent to Ahmad Pasha at Acre. He needs to be warned off any plans he might have for joining forces with what’s left of the Mamelukes in Egypt. If we can secure an alliance with him so much the better. In the meantime,’ he turned away from the bay and gazed back in the direction of Alexandria, ‘we had better do what we can to settle the army into Egypt and win over the locals. It’s possible we may be here for quite a while.’