It's up the Nile for you Farthingdale.

Young Herbert probably shouldn't have taken that commission with the Khedive's Egyptian Army.  His men, the 3rd Sudanese, were well trained regulars, the only issue being the Remington rifles they used having a limited range compared to the Martini Henry Rifles of the West Kents.  The real problem was the Mission, march up the Red Nile and sort out the Dervish problem.

Easier said than done, especially when you are an idiot of Herbert's calibre.

Our Hero is serving under Colonel Boris Bumsby Pasha, a chubby chancer and camel worrier of some renown.  Its all looking a little grim.

 

The Garrison of Abu Hamed has been lead out by Colonel Bumsby to march on Kabkaba, where a "Mad Fakir" has been preaching a Dervish Jihad against the Turks.  The Fakir is a little unclear on just who his enemies are!

The Wadi

First of three games, the Dervish ambush Colonel Bumsby's force at the Wadi.  I`m using Men Who Would be Kings, with 15mm figures and 2 figures to a base.  My Regular units are 24 figures (representing 12 bases) and the Dervish Tribesmen 32.

The Game

The Abu Hamed Wadi

A 24 point field force, right to left, the Regular Sudanese, a well drilled Mountain gun battery, the West Kents and the Lancashire Fusiliers.

Rocks to the right, the wadi ahead and a patch of sand, unscouted.

The sand turns out to be good going, but the rocks are filled with Babbage generated shooters.  Dervish spears appear to the front.

The Fusiliers give them a round of firing, killing seven. 

Bumsby scouts the wadi and is stuck fast.  He always was too large for that poor pony.

They come again and we kill four more

But those devils in the rocks get four of my men.

The Fusiliers see off the Dervish but at grievous cost.

The sad demise of Captain W.A.N Kerr of the Loyal North Lanc's Fusiliers

Bumsby steadies the Lancashires as the mountain guns get into action.

More Dervish shooters appear.  they kill off the Lancashires, just one shrt of killing Bumsby himself.

Although the fellow comes close.

Colonel Bumsby retreats to the West Kents and the tactics are now to hold the line

The Sudanese are regulars, but their rifles are poor  At long range they snipe at the Dervish.

In fact its at "only just" range.  Four hits out of twelve.  We'll take that.

All three Dervish units on table are pinned.

The guns get six hits out of eight.  Well drilled indeed.

And another four for the Sudanese.  Its very much swung to the Colonial field force

The Shooters deliver a charge,  Their bullets will not harm you, etc...  The bayonets do though. Six hts versus three

We've seen them off.  The Papers will love it, Her Majesty will love it, that fat idiot Boris Bumsby may even make Prime Minister yet.