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Well, it all started when Binky and Adrian came back from
their hunting trip. They were empty handed as usual. That said
they have located a splendid looking waterhole and we set off for that
after a fairly Spartan breakfast of dried provisions. The horses are
now too done in to carry anything and I doubt they'll last another day
without decent grazing and water. Gerald took the central route along the
donga with the baggage and the horses following behind while Adrian and
Binky took the right and left flanks respectively. They were to
advance ahead and scout out any difficulties. Gerald mentioned that
the donga wound its way between hillocks and if there was an ambush he
expected help. |
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A few wildebeest crossed Binky's path but he decided not to
shoot. Adrian was making good time and had found an isolated
settlement. It was surrounded by a ghost fence made up of skulls on
posts. His askaris were nervous of the fence and of the magic
tree. They rightly told him that this was the abode of a
sorcerer. Adrian was not concerned even though the tree did make him
feel nervous - it was "singing". Gerald was having his own
difficulties. The donga was good going, nearly as good as a track
indeed. But the porters were tired out and the column kept on
getting longer. The horses had fallen way behind. But he had
to press on.
The hut is made from a card tube with a
card cone for the roof. |
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Adrian approached the sorcerer and entered into a lengthy
discussion of the history and customs of the area. He gained a lot
of information and surprisingly he found one of the statuettes stolen from
the party in Cairo. He successfully traded for it.
The ghost fence is made from Foundry/Games
Workshop skulls, bits of scrap and plastic leaves from aquarium
plants, all set in milliput and mounted on a coin or washer. The
sand area is thick paper. The pot is from a fantasy range. |
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Gerald pushed on along the
donga. He could see Binky ahead near one of the dead trees. He
knew that this meant that there were elephants about in some
numbers. He deployed his men to cover the column as he went through
the defile.
Fortunately they were alert and a force of
tribesmen appeared on the hillock. The porters panicked and had to
be calmed down by Gerald himself.
The hills are polystyrene sheets and the dead
trees are made from heather roots. The standing stone is precisely
that. A standing stone. |
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The tribesmen, seeing the panic
charge. Unfortunately for them Adrian's sergeant had spotted them
and alerted the party. So the warriors were caught in a deadly cross
fire. And when Adrian fired a phosphorus shell amongst them they
fled from the burning stinging smoke. The sorcerer was much
impressed by the this and thought that Adrian must be a powerful sorcerer
in his own right. |
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Meanwhile, Binky had his path blocked
by a family of elephants and he chose to outflank them. As he did so
he met a party heading for the village. The leader was an American
Doctor accompanied by an Italian nun. They had been led astray by
their guide who was intent upon selling them as slaves. Binky sorted
this out leaving the guide crippled and his brothers wounded and unarmed. |
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Binky watched by a lone hunter waits
as the elephants wander past. Behind him on the hillside a rhino
appeared, sniffed and listened for a while and then wandered off
grazing.
The elephants are plastic toys from a supermarket
bag of animals and the rhino is an old Airfix one from the Zoo Animals
set. |
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At last the native village is in
sight. It was teeming with life.
The huts are made from card as already
described. Some have sand mixed into the roof paint for variety and
texture. Most of the green plants are plastic aquarium plants or
Christmas decorations. The fields are fabric and carpet samples -
sometimes you can acquire useful books of wallpaper and carpet samples
from shops. Just be persuasive at the end of a season. The
market was inspired by http://www.warflag.com/shadow/cast/terrain/market.htm
and the carpets by http://www.warflag.com/shadow/cast/terrain/morocrugs.jpg
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Binky was suspicious. His
encounter with Michael, the guide, and the trail of footprints he found
added to his suspicions. Then, after the gunshots, why did nobody
come out to see what happened? Why were the villagers unconcerned?
The baboons were cut from Foundry Ancient
Egyptian Policemen that I bought in the Foundry Sale a couple of years
ago. Yes, I bought them for the baboons. |
