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Just before midnight, after a short march Adrian was
in position. He shivered in
the cool desert air and ... could he hear the sounds of music floating
over the walls? He pulled is
chronometer from his pocket and looked at it for the twentieth time in the
last hour – time to go.
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At the same time Gerald was in position.
He, too, could hear the
sound of music and dancing came from the brightly lit palace.
It was supposed to be quiet and in darkness.
He shrugged, it was far too late to change the plan.
His watch told him that it was midnight. Time to go.
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Binky checked his watch, midnight already!
And he was not yet in position.
He wondered if the others were also delayed.
He could hear the sound of music and see bright lights from the
area of the palace. It was
midnight and all was supposed to be silent and dark.
He was late!
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Led by Midshipman Willie Puke who could climb like a
monkey Adrian’s force made its way quietly onto the almost deserted
wall. A sentry was looking
into the town at the far end of the wall.
Beni and two sailors rushed him and he died before realising that
he was in danger. Adrian and
Willie managed to deal with another sentry and tied him up and gagged him.
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On the other side of the town Gerald and his force
also surprised a sentry and he, too died without uttering a sound.
Luck seemed with the raiders.
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Binky arriving some time after the others climbed the
wall in haste. Ramsden
leading the way tackled a sentry right at the top of his ladder. In a brief struggle Ramsden was wounded and the sentry
knocked out.
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Adrian made good time along the wall, relying more on
speed and shock than stealth he attacked the tower. The sentry at the top was more alert than the others but
still not awake enough to realise he was under a real threat.
He leaned over to see what was going on and, as he did so, saw a
grappling hook heading straight for him.
As he called out his challenge the hook dug into the back of his
neck and he was bodily dragged out of the tower.
He broke his neck in the fall.
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By now Gerald was closing up to the palace and
deployed covering groups to support the fighting that was to come. A
wise move, as it turned out later.
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Binky
was making up for lost time. He
abseiled down the wall and with Harry Jones hurled clusters of dynamite
into the barracks. He
successfully eliminated the bulk of the Sultan’s Guard at one stroke. In the ruins lay 9 dead and 3 crippled with the rest
wounded, shocked and trapped. |
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At about the same time Adrian broke into the tower
eliminating the garrison in a short sharp fight. On the far side of the town Gerald released the terrified
slaves held in the galleries under the wall.
The palace guards open fire but all fall to the superior firepower
of the Blue Jackets.
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Ramsden leading a few sailors assaulted the
high tower. He was covered by
fire from the single barrelled Nordenfelt.
The tower garrison opened up with a desultory fire on those on the
wall. They only fired from
the crenulations away from the Nordenfelt’s harassing fire.
At the tower Adrian’s force lowered the boom.
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Now that the boom was lowered, Adrian sent out a
party of sailors to check that the steam launch was still in running
order. First they had to
clear houses along the dockside and were attacked by pirates.
Adrian’s Nordenfelt virtually wiped out the attack.
Then the party came under fire from the Dhow’s cannon losing a
few casualties. Adrian and
those in the tower came under heavy fire from pirates and concealed
riflemen.
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Gerald and his Blue jackets stormed the palace.
In a fierce hand-to-hand fight the lower level of the palace was
cleared room by room. Casualties were mounting on both sides but the spirit of
the attackers carried the day.
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The Nordenfelt in the tower jammed as sniper
fire inflicted a mounting toll of casualties.
Meanwhile, Binky brought his Nordenfelt closer in.
The fighting in the Palace moved upstairs.
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Binky turned his attention to the Slave Market.
His way was barred by two guards and he killed both outright
without breaking step. The
others cowered back and slashing wildly with their scimitars only to be
bayoneted by the sailors. At the
tower, a
sniper killed two sailors standing beside Adrian. Lt Robin Bankier cleared the jammed gun and turned it on
the riflemen on the roof of the building routing them. In the process he was seen by the sniper and shot dead.
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In the palace Gerald trapped the Sultan and his
advisors. In the room he also
found the first of the missing treasures.
While down in the Slave Market, Binky shot the merchant dead.
He searched the Slave cells and founds the Arab family that had
rescued him years ago and released them repaying his debt.
He freed them and gave them as much as they could carry from the
Merchant’s treasure box. In
another cell he found Meg and other female slaves.
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Down in the docks the dhow was cleared of pirates in
a bitter fight and a number of boxes stolen from the Cairo Museum were
found. The tower was still
under sniper fire from the gate tower and Adrian, once again, proved his
prowess by shooting one between the eyes with a single shot. Not another shot was fired at the tower from the gate.
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The Town Guard finally mustered and marched towards
the gate.
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Gerald and the German archaeologists he had released
went to the Vizier’s office and found several of the stolen artifacts
and a few more besides. In the office they also found the German’s site register.
Meanwhile the blue jackets loot the palace.
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Charging through the gate the Town Guards were met
with a hail of fire. They
show great determination and reached the foot of the ladder. Only when their officer was shot dead did they give and
retreat back to the gate tower.
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In clearing the Houses by the docks the blue jackets
fought fierce hand-to-hand battles with the Arabs. Several small and heroic actions took place in a short
period of confused fighting. The
Navy soon cleared the buildings.
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Binky told Harry Jones to get everyone
organised for the withdrawal of his party and the freed slaves. He set off to link up with Ramsden and Gerald.
At the docks, Midshipman Willie Puke and a couple of sailors
managed to get the steam launch’s engine to work and after a little
while they get enough steam up to get under way.
With a toot on the whistle he sounded the signal that he was ready
for the withdrawal.
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Binky, Gerald and Harry all headed for the docks by
different routes. Some
harassing fire came from the gate tower.
Binky takes the merchant dhow, Gerald the pirate dhow and Adrian
the steam launch. Willie Puke
turned out to be a superb seaman and cut out the dhows in short order.
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Binky’s Raiders sailed out to sea content
with their successes but their happiness was clouded by the knowledge that
they had not found or rescued Cynthia.
Meg, while searching through the trinkets from the Slave
Merchant’s boxes found a compact and a bangle that she knew were
Cynthia’s. One of the freed slaves told them that several white men
and women had left in a caravan a day before the raid.
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And now it was time for breakfast aboard the
cruiser. As the pre-dawn
began to light the horizon the guns of the cruiser opened fire to signal
the land assault and the landing parties entered the town unopposed.
The nest of Zomm el Ohle was cleared out but Mustapha Ginnis had
escaped.
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