"Never trust anyone on the Frontier" an ...epic NWF Campaign

[CPT Shanks]

Ahhhh. The Peshawar Tribune, the only news worthy of reporting. Warms the cockles to see the latest edition.  I see no mention of the Hazara Field Force's sound drubbing of a group of Hashim Ali's mountain bandits in the Black Mountains. I shall have to motivate a certain young subaltern in the public affairs office to get reports in before the publishing deadline. Suffice  it to say Colonel Sym exceeded his reputation as a soldier and leader in the field. I can always trust his judgment and ability to carry out my orders if not to the letter, then satisfactorily to my intent.
Bravo on the early September edition. I am certain my man will have any future reports to your esteemed paper in a timely manner.

Brigadier McQueen JW

[giorgio]

No issue. Col Sym glorious fight will be available tomorrow with a little extra cost in a special supplement special edition!

[giorgio]

Special Addendum

This extra last minute notice arrived too late to stop the press but we think it deserves to be published (also because we deserve the extra annas…).
No fault by the Col Sym’s officer that sent the information on time, but the courier path was deviated to avoid to be intercepted by a huge Bunerwals tribesmen army going Southward, and that we know was not other than Mutaaz khan’s warriors going to meet Major Vousden new column in Masri Khel.

We have received complains for Pesha Trib extra cost also for subscribers, but we have to fight to remain the only independent and free voice of Punjab. Furthermore, you may want to consider also the mules hay and fodder price increase due to bandits attacks on caravans all along the frontier.
We also reject to sender the infamous slander we are getting money from hidden advertisements. All the brands in our pictures are there because useful to the context or just for accident. Second picture of this supplement is a valid proof.

Do not forget to purchase also the weekly insert with all the stories of our most loved characters. Muletail in the path of Sikander’s treasure, Zibbib and Flash in the Yeti’s lands,Russians coming from deep steppes,  Brom sisters are too much for a single father? This and much more as always in a frame rich of pictures, articles and the witty pen of your Reginald Winkie, now also with the help of young Mr Crisp, just arrived from homeland to join this fantastic team, always ready to report adventures, fights, victories and sometimes awful occurrences.

Intelligence from our Black Mountain agents reported a lashkar of Hasanzais under the banner of Jawid Lughman moving southwest along the stream Shai Kwhar, toward the Indus River. Colonel Sym moved to intercept them with the 1st Brigade. And he located the belligerent's camp a mile southwest of the burned and abandoned village of Surmal.


Under his valorous Sikhs and Highlanders fire the ruffians felled to the last man, including the chieftan Jawid Lughman and his banner man


Some local tribesmen talk about some survivors driven by Noomylay Faridun, Jawid’s henchman, who slipped northwards into the Black Mountains swearing an oath of vengeance.


TO BE CONTINUED…

[George]

The story rolls on! Fascinating.

[Rhingyll]

Based on his discussions with Bad Ass Akan, the Tajik Ruker of Badakhshan, General Skobelev has ordered his son-in-law Colonel Igor Blaramberg to advance and take Zebak, Badakhshan with the 5 companies of the Susdal Regiment. The people of Zebak (photos of the town on market day below) have drifted away from control of Faizabad and have formed strong alliances with Chitral. They are not Tajiks and speak Khowar, the language of Chitral, rather than the Persian based Tajik. Bad Ass Khan has agreed that if the Russians can return control of Zebak to him, they may in turn use it as a base for a future foray into Chitral. Bad Ass Khan will allow some of his men to accompany the Susdal Line Infantry to act as guides and also join in the attack on Zebak.

[Rhingyll]

Why are there two soldiers of the Indian Army in Zebak, Rumors has it that they were speaking to each other in a Tajik dialect. Who are they?

[Mad Guru]

THE PLOT THICKENS...

[Mad Guru]

Frontier Rules

The night of August 17th, 1890, somewhere on the 40-mile stretch of road between Nowshera and Dargai...





Earlier tonight while sharing a limber with men of E/B Battery Royal Horse Artillery, Neville Crisp, late of the London-based magazine "Horse and Hound," experienced his first shots fired in anger, as well as his first time as the target of a charge...



In the aftermath he was assigned to look after WIA Lance Bombardier Phineas Gorman for the remainder of the ride to 1st Brigade's Cantonments at Dargai...







Riding along in the improvised ambulance cart, Crisp was shocked to realize he was less worried about another ambush, or even the fate of the unconscious artilleryman, and more worried about how he would do his recent incredible experience justice...



In his newfound role as "Correspondent-at-Large" for the Peshawar Tribune...



Crisp turned his eyes from the unconscious Lance Bombardier and looked off into the dark mountains silhouetted against the slightly less dark sky...



As he did so his mind's eye filled with sudden brief recollections of the ambush...



The crash of the Lancers into the rocks laid across the road...



The crack and flash of incoming fire a moment later...



The cry of Lance Bombardier Gorman as he fell from the saddle of his limber horse...



The Tribesmen charging the head of the column...



The desperate melee that followed, which could have gone either way...



The rifle duel across the river...



And the last glimpse of the still-defiant enemy before they slipped back into the darkness...



How was it all decided?  How determined?  ...9 Pathans wounded ...1 killed ...4 routed away  ...5 British and Indian wounded ...the Battery emerged intact and victorious... but by what mechanism did this occur?  And what if... by some mad twist of fate or evil design... the participants no longer all agreed to abide by the same?  Would that not be a far worse fate than simply Routing away, or falling WIA... or even KIA... for down that path would surely lie anarchy... and chaos!

With these thoughts in mind, Crisp pulled out his handy reporter's notebook and went to work, hopeful that when E/B and their 3rd Skinner's Horse escort reached Dargai at sunrise, he could send it with the next dispatch rider back to Peshawar from whence he had just came...

* * * * * *

FRONTIER RULES

by Neville Crisp
(with apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien)

                    Three Rules for the Raj-Presidencies under the sky,                   
                    Seven for the Frontier-Tribes in their Sangars of stone,                       
                    Nine for Cavagnari’s Guides who in '79 were doomed to die,             
                    One for the Widow of Windsor alone on her throne                             
                    In the Land of Minis where the Colonials vie.                             
                    One Rule to play them all, One Rule to find them,                     
                    One Rule to bring them all and around the table bind them               
                    In the Land of Minis where the Colonials vie.

[Umra Khan]

Great story Mad Guru 👏👏👏

[Rhingyll]

Today General Skobelev  dispatched from Faizabad,  Colonel Blaramberg along with the 5 companies of the Susdal Regiment and a company of the Kazanski Rifles to march to Zebak and take the town. It is not known how many defenders the town will be able to muster, but they will surely be aware of the oncoming Russian force before it arrives. Bad Ass Khan has sent a contingent of some of his best Tajik marksmen to accompany and guide Blaramberg.

[giorgio]

 


They have ridden the low moon out of the sky, their hoofs drum up the spines,
The dun they went like wounded bulls, but the lances like new-roused porcupines.

From “the North and the South “ by R.Winkie in the “Peshwar barrack ballad”
 


The carpet man has spoken, the secret told by Zibbib revealed, They must intercept him and then El Osprey’s son to prevent the Russian plot execution.
 


Run Run All brigades are already busy, who will go?
Run Run “I shall be the man” said Major Rowson
Run Run “and my squadron will say so:
We are the Hodson’s Horse
And success will come of course!”
Run run blue jackets still wet of paint
Run run  no trick  no faint”
 


“Major Rowson in your hands I put the RAJ destiny”
“And I won’t fail for the Queen and the Hodson’s honor!”
Run run towards Khyber pass…
 


Run Run …and far away!
 

Run run towards the Mohmands lands!
Will Major Rowson succeed intercepting Zibbib before he meets the Tsarists?
 


To Be Continued

[Umra Khan]

excellent verses Giorgio 👏👏

[LordSpode1879]

Frontier Rules

The night of August 17th, 1890, somewhere on the 40-mile stretch of road between Nowshera and Dargai...





Earlier tonight while sharing a limber with men of E/B Battery Royal Horse Artillery, Neville Crisp, late of the London-based magazine "Horse and Hound," experienced his first shots fired in anger, as well as his first time as the target of a charge...



In the aftermath he was assigned to look after WIA Lance Bombardier Gorman for the remainder of the ride to 1st Brigade's Cantonments at Dargai...







Riding along in the improvised ambulance cart, Crisp was shocked to realize he was less worried about another ambush, or even the fate of the unconscious artilleryman, and more worried about how he would do his recent incredible experience justice...



In his newfound role as "Correspondent-at-Large" for the Peshawar Tribune...



Crisp turned his eyes from the unconscious Lance Bombardier and looked off into the dark mountains silhouetted against the slightly less dark sky...



As he did so his mind's eye filled with sudden brief recollections of the ambush...



The crash of the Lancers into the rocks laid across the road...



The crack and flash of incoming fire a moment later...



The cry of Lance Bombardier Gorman as he fell from the saddle of his limber horse...



The Tribesmen charging the head of the column...



The desperate melee that followed, which could have gone either way...



The rifle duel across the river...



And the last glimpse of the still-defiant enemy before they slipped back into the darkness...



How was it all decided?  How determined?  ...9 Pathans wounded ...1 killed ...4 routed away  ...5 British and Indian wounded ...the Battery emerged intact and victorious... but by what mechanism did this occur?  And what if... by some mad twist of fate or evil design... the participants no longer all agreed to abide by the same?  Would that not be a far worse fate than simply Routing away, or falling WIA... or even KIA... for down that path would surely lie anarchy... and chaos!

With these thoughts in mind, Crisp pulled out his handy reporter's notebook and went to work, hopeful that when E/B and their 3rd Skinner's Horse escort reached Dargai at sunrise, he could send it with the next dispatch rider back to Peshawar from whence he had just came...

* * * * * *

FRONTIER RULES

by Neville Crisp
(with apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien)

                    Three Rules for the Raj-Presidencies under the sky,                   
                    Seven for the Frontier-Tribes in their Sangars of stone,                       
                    Nine for Cavagnari’s Guides who in '79 were doomed to die,             
                    One for the Widow of Windsor alone on her throne                             
                    In the Land of Minis where the Colonials vie.                             
                    One Rule to play them all, One Rule to find them,                     
                    One Rule to bring them all and around the table bind them               
                    In the Land of Minis where the Colonials vie.

Magnificent.... Simply magnificent! The whole report is excellent.... The photography is superb! Excellent addition to this enthralling thread!

[Mad Guru]

LordSpode1879 (excellent choice of year in your user-name BTW!),

Thank you very much for the big compliment, which is very much appreciated.  I’ve been in the hobby for a long time, but I’ve never had an experience quite like the campaign on this thread before.  I think it’s been going for at least 4 months now, and no matter the triumph or tragedy, victory or defeat, it’s been nothing but fun the whole time — mostly thanks to the fantastic other gamers, only a couple of whom I knew before it started!  It’s great to hear others are enjoying it too, so thanks again!

And rest assured there is more to come from all corners of the Frontier, including but not limited to... The Grandma of All Battles!

[Umra Khan]

The Mission
Multani 5th September 1890

From: Lt. John Henry Barrett – East Surrey Regiment – attached to the 36th Sikhs, Fort Multani
     Kohat Pass – North West Frontier

To: Miss Jane Fairclough –Mole Valley –Leigh – Surrey




My beloved Jane,
I am writing to you on my way back from the first mission where I was sent. It was not an easy mission, and to be completely honest, it was not even a successful mission.
Let  start from the beginning. Thanks to one informant of ours  among the Afridis  we learned that Persian agents were going to send a load of Russian rifles to the Afridi’s  rebels in the Kohat area, so they sent me with my wing of Sikhs ( 10 figures  as per the True Rule ) to intercept the suspicious caravan.
We form a checkpoint on a winding stretch of trail shortly after Ublan pass and so we block those marauders.



A kind of brawl breaks out and, in the confusion that follows, one bandit lays on the ground and  two criminals gallop out of range, although perhaps one should have taken a ball thanks to Naik Joao Singh, who continues to praise his abilities as an infallible shooter, of which I doubt more and more.





I said, we are left with three beautiful mules loaded with Russian rifles, including ammunition in large quantities, enough to arm about sixty guerrillas. In short, a nice booty, really.

We move to return but during the march I see suspicious movements behind us. It is evening and we camp in the old outpost of Baghor, now abandoned, because I fear that the marauders  or their clients may come to take back the guns.



So I prepare to support an attack, when I realize that the naik Joao Singh is no longer among my soldiers...
The Afridis arrived unfortunately not along the valley plain as I had thought, but from behind a line of hills and my soldiers are immediately engaged from behind by about a dozen afridis and, after a brief firefight my Sikhs are forced to retreat into a house with some wounded. By Jupiter, you can never trust these cutthroats, just straight on the back of my soldiers had to happen!! A nice ruined plan, damn spoilers!!



While we from the fort shot like demons on all the visible afridis, I thought that may be we would not be able to hold the position and that we would have to retire, ......but the mules?


As I look towards the mules, which were taken away by a cunning Afrids, and I make this thought..

I suddenly see and  hear an explosion and I see the mules, the Afridi that guided them and other tribesmen nearby blow up...

the naik Joao Singh with a precise shot , in an attempt to hit the Afridi  muletteer, had hit a bag of one of the mules, that bag contained explosives (the Havildar Ram Singh had not checked well the sacks).

The Afridis run away screaming and I see Joao Singh return triumphantly all happy for having made that important shot.


The Afridis retreated to the mountains, my troops were too tired to think of chasing the enemies and the clash ended.
Back at the Multani outpopst with the wounded .....



I reported to the Maj. Jilius Potts, who after reading my whole report reproached me because he demanded from me the payment for the loss of the three mules, plus enough and harnesses that had blown up and that according to him were now "property of the British Government" !!
I kindly explained to him that they had blown up for reasons of force majeure, and that the loss of the mules caused the death of several tribesmen and the rescue of my  unit.

The Major  did not want to know and this put an end to the discussion;


It remains only to say that, in addition to a  reprimand that I remedied by Mr. Major for not having carried out the mission more positively, some foolish fellow officer, (Lt. Gough of the Poona's),  continues, when I enter the mess or the official club, to make allusions to mules or to  hee-haw  behind my back ... he  thinks  to be funny but he’s , of course, poor in spirit, I do not find any sense of humor in all this.
Life on the Grim  is really hard and here on this lost and dusty outpost  it is even harder.
Yesterday I learnt some rules guideline for warfare on the Frontier !!!

I will write to you again as soon as I can, my love.
Your devoted John.