The Rescue of Friday Lightly

The westernmost province of British Alerikstan is in an uproar this Halloween.  The governor’s Goth-obsessed teenage daughter, Friday Lightly, was on a trick-or-treating excursion to a local village when that wily hill-chief and brigand, the notorious and infamous, the one and only Oudhi Dhutti, kidnapped her to hold her for ransom. 

The governor's daughter was a lovely girl, but she wore entirely too much black in the desert.

Governor Lightly, fearing for his daughter’s safety and the threat to the Pax Brittanica posed by such a lawless act, scratched together a rescue force as quickly as he could and rode hard toward the village where his spies told him Dhutti was hiding with his prize.  Governor Lightly knows that Oudhi Dhutti won’t harm his daughter (lest the wrath of the Empire raze the entire province to ashes), but he has to rescue her before Dhutti can escape to the hills, where catching the clever brigand would be a much more challenging task. 

Rules used were TMWWBK.  The British must rescue Miss Friday Lightly in 8 turns, or Oudhi Dhutti will be able to make his escape under the cover of darkness. 

Order of Battle:

British:

Captain Mackenzie Ferguson and one company Gordon Highlanders, Fierce

Lieutenant Bertram Fletchley-Smythe and one company Royal Marine Light Infantry

Leftenant Evelyn Featherstone and one company Bombay Sappers and Miners

Captain James Archibald Murray Croighton and one squadron Bengal Lancers

Jemadar Ranjit Singh and Sikh mountain gun

Oudhi Dhutti’s Raiders:

Ahmad Boom with a clan of native rifles

Wali Boom with another clan of native rifles

Faisal Watsituya with a raiding party of swordsmen

Abd ibn Bin with a raiding party of spearmen

Bhadah Boom with a rusty old cannon and his ill-trained gun crew

Rhidin Jamaal with a band of native camels

Ibn Jamaal with another band of native camels

Ibn duin Rown with a band of native cavalry

Governor Lightly took the lay of the land as his scratch force approached the native village.  The village lay directly before him, the mountains behind it.  He could make out the barrels of a unit of native rifles behind a stone wall in the town itself, and the native field piece had been erected on the roof of a house.  A grove of trees lay a little distance ahead to his right, while an extensive area of gullies and dry riverbeds, with a stand of trees beyond that, was to his left.  He could see the dust swirls of a unit of native cavalry to his right front, flanking the right-hand approaches.  

The lay of the land.

Noting with concern the lateness of the day, the governor determined on a headlong assault, hoping that the offensive capabilities of his Highlanders and Bengal Lancers would carry the day. 

The Highlanders advanced straight down the middle, until they were suddenly brought up short by a unit of native rifles hidden in ambush in the grove of trees to the right.  They fired off a volley, but only caused a few casualties.  The Sappers to the right of the Highlanders fired their Sniders in reply, with some effect. 

Over on the British left, Jemadar Singh was having problems getting his gunners in order, so Governor Lightly ordered the Bengal Lancers forward at the double in the hopes that he could flank the village from the left as the Highlanders and Marines closed in on the front.  But as two units of native camels exploded out of the gullies and ravines of the broken ground in front of the Lancers, the governor cursed himself for a fool.  Ambushed twice in one day!  The Marines moved forward, Lieutenant Fletchley-Smythe positioning himself where his company could support either the Lancers or the Highlanders as needed. 

Camels attack!

The first unit of native camels charged full-tilt into the lancers who, being charged, did not have the benefit of their lance bonus.  As it turned out they didn’t need their bonus, seeing the natives off and taking only one casualty.  But no sooner had they beat back the first unit of camels when the second unit of camels barreled into them.  The hardy sowars grinned through their beards and stood to their work, striking about them with tulwars and pistol-butts until the second unit of camels was sent packing after the first. 

Camels retreat!

Oudhi Dhutti, not impressed with the performance of his cameleers, gave the signal for his spear- and sword-armed units to attack the exposed Highlanders.  The swordsmen rose up from their hiding places and rushed the Gordons with a wild, ululating whoop.  The fight was close, and the Gordons were cut down to half strength, but Captain Mackenzie Ferguson cut down the enemy leader with one stroke of his claymore, and the grizzled Scotsmen threw the swordsmen back.  “That was a close one,” muttered Sergeant MacRimmon.  

Swords waving, the tribesmen smash into the kilted furies.

Captain Ferguson cuts down Watsituya with one stroke.

But he muttered too soon.  The native spears, seeing the Scots at half strength, closed in for the kill.  Badly outnumbered, weakened by rifle fire from the grove of trees and their previous tussle with the native swords, the Highlanders went down in a shower of spears. 

They'll be takin' the high road to Loch Lomond.

The Sappers took their revenge by whittling down the ranks of the victorious spearmen, and then Lieutenant Fletchley-Smythe led a charge that scattered the spears to the four winds.  But Governor Lightly was still in dire straits; a third of his infantry and half his cavalry was gone, and he was not yet halfway to the village. 

Overview at the midpoint. The Sikh mountain gun is out of frame to the right.  Jemadar Singh had a hard time organizing his gunners, and most of the first half of the battle the British had no artillery support.

Back on the left, Jemadar Singh had finally got his gunners under control, and they fired on the native camel units, who were trying to rally in the broken ground ahead of the Lancers.  Little damage was done.  Acting more cautiously now (a little too late!) Governor Lightly ordered the Lancers to fire a volley at the rallying camel unit rather than attempt a charge through the rough terrain.  One of the camel units was down to a single rider and the other down to half strength, but both rallied and once again threatened the British left. 

At this point luck seemed to have changed her fickle mind and switched her allegiance to the Queen, for the native spear and sword units continued to retreat and the fire from the rickety old field piece on the roof was ineffective.  The native cavalry moved forward, but got tangled up in the retreating swordsmen. 

Seeing the tide shift, Governor Lightly ordered everyone to attack.  The Marines went in with the bayonet against the native rifles at the village, while the Sappers brandished their picks and shovels and charged home against the rifles in the grove of trees.  Jemadar Singh set the first unit of native camels to flight with a well-placed round from the mountain gun, and the Lancers spurred their mounts into the second unit of camels. 

The Marines surge to the wall!

The Sappers charge the grove of trees!

The Lancers storm the camels!

All was excitement and fury and shouts and screams, but when the dust cleared, the British field force, though bloodied, held the ground. 

Oudhi Dhutti desperately attempted to rally his fleeing units, but only his depleted unit of swordsmen heeded his cries.  His cavalry, still fresh, had finally advanced clear of the rallying swordsmen, but were now on the wrong side of the village wall from the Marines, who now held the barricade.  Dhutti’s field piece fired at the Marines in the village, causing casualties, but the Royal Marines’ nerve held fast. 

The Royal Marines take the wall.

With nothing between the Marines and Miss Friday Lightly except for a rusty old field piece, the fight was practically over.  Jemadar Singh opened fire on the native cavalry, and the Sappers, who had spent virtually the entire game dueling with a solitary unit of native rifles, finally saw their foes off the table and threatened the native cavalry’s flank.  The Marines opened fire on the native field piece, killing half the gunners, and then the Lancers charged home and did the rest. 

Sergeant Smithwell personally handed Miss Lightly to her delighted father in the village square.  “Luvverly girl,” he said to himself.  “But Gor blimey why’s she wearin’ black in the desert?”  

Miss Friday Lightly regales her rescuers with awful poetry while Oudhi Dhutti makes for the hills on his fastest horse.