Half the priesthood of the country are on Souza's side, since the Patriarch of Lisbon himself is little more than a tool of Souza's.

What happens?
This priest discovers that the British officer whom he has so charitably put to bed in his house is the bearer of dispatches.

A loyal man would instantly have communicated with Marshal Beresford at Thomar.

This fellow, instead, advises the intriguers in Lisbon.

The captain's dispatches are examined and the only document of real value is abstracted.