Thank God for Mr Nordenfelt!

Click on a picture to enlarge it.

It was not long after dawn and breakfast was eaten on the march.  In the distance the firing had reduced to sporadic outbursts but, ominously, a column of smoke rose.  Checking his compass Binky realised that it was on the bearing of Jizuz Noeware.  The village was obviously under attack. Would they be in time?

The buildings are made from card tubes (snacks and suchlike) with thin card roofs covered in pollyfilla, a kind of flexible wall plaster.  The "grass" is a door mat cut up into sections.  The village fence is made from twigs.

The table before forces are deployed.

Capt. Adrian Ryce -Pepper with his bearer Mamoud, Sergeant Achmed Tokar and askaris on the left flank (right of the picture).  Gerald Ridd with his Askaris advance in the centre. And Binky and Mauro Impeccunio on the right wing (left of the picture) advance across the veldt to wards the burning farm.

The figures are mainly Foundry and West Wind with Dixon pack mules.  The MGs are scratch built from plastic rod.

As the relief force breasts the low ridge they see the mission and village is under attack by a force of natives.

The defenders are mainly Foundry and the attackers Copplestone N'Goni.

Binky deploys his Nordenfelts on the ridge with a screen of askaris.  They have not been noticed yet by the tribesman attacking the mission.
The attackers take heavy fire from the palisade and from the rear.  Their morale falters and they halt only to take another devastating volley.
They break and run. Adrian checks out the ruins.
The vultures feed well. 

The vultures are from Irregular Miniatures.

His reconnaissance complete Adrian moves out towards the village.  Suddenly, over the ridge to his left a huge force of warriors charge into view.  He cannot reach the village safely now.
Gerald (played by Brian - left) inflicts casualties with his Nordenfelt while Adrian (played by Andrew) watches the approaching massed tribesmen.
The tribesmen charge forward with their female archers on the flank to pin down Adrian.  Adrian turns at bay setting up Binky's Nordenfelt amongst his own Askaris.  This could be a last stand, he thinks!
"Steady lads, mark your targets! Wait for my order," says Gerald calmly as the Nordenfelt is set up.
"FIRE!"  The Nordenfelt and the rifles of the Askaris crash out felling almost the entire regiment.
On the other flank, Adrian is hard pressed.  "Fix Bayonets!"   There is furious fighting at the palisade where Binky has to resort to fighting with his sword to stop the attackers.
Caught in a crossfire from the stockade and from Adrian's force the Zebra Plumes are shot to pieces.  The survivors flee.  All except the archers who loose off one last deadly volley before following their men folk.
Suddenly, it is all over.  The attackers flee leaving Adrian's force badly mauled by the archers.
In the end The defenders lost 2 dead, 1 crippled and 5 wounded Askaris - almost all in Adrian's force and the villagers lost 12 killed, 4 crippled and 9 wounded.  The attackers suffered nearly 70 killed and crippled.  The vast majority from the two Nordenfelts. 

Despite their losses the N'Goni escaped with over 30 villagers as slaves and a huge herd of cattle.  Binky determined that the mission would have to wait while he pursued.

Late in the afternoon Ramsden brought in the baggage and two hot air balloons appeared on the horizon.  Henry Jones had caught up bringing with him much needed medical supplies and an experimental gun for Adrian to play with.  Binky decided that these balloons would be ideal vehicles for the pursuit.

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