Skirmish at the
Finolah Minehead
A Spot of Bother in a Small Place
| |
The Conclusion - Skirmish at the Finolah Minehead A Spot of Bother in a Small Place |
The sounds of the battering ram on the magazine door and the cries of the approaching brigands decide the issue. Sensing that it is now or never, he orders the Highlanders storm the wall. Sgt. McKinnock and one trooper go over the top while Capt. Powderbourne and the remaining trooper assault the gate. Powderbourne, using sword and revolver, lays out one hillman, but two dacoits stand off his companion, and the gateway is still blocked.
Kcin furiously ransacks the mine office, though his absence puts his men at a disadvantage.
Back at the ruins, Lt. Dashley coolly fires his revolver
into the palm grove and sees the leader of the Jezailchi tumble out of the
brush in a heap. The Fellahin gain the ruins and fire their first volley
from cover, cutting down Hassan and the lead two brigands. Just as Lt. Dashley
reminds himself to commend the men on their marksmanship, a musketball spins
him around and down onto the rubble on the valley floor.
The
Fellahin's breechloading rifles check the remaining brigands as they emerge
from the cover of town. They begin an unequal duel with the slow-loading
jezails in the trees, but, leaderless, they do not move to the mine in aid
of the outnumbered Highlanders.
Sgt. McKinnock is pushed back from the top of wall and
his trooper is killed. He and his opponents now move down the wall to reinforce
the fight at the gate. The sergeant arrives just in time to intercept one
of Hassan's town brigands running for Capt. Powderbourne's back. The action
behind him distracts Powderbourne long enough for his opponent to send a
kindjal into his vitals, and he sinks back against the wall, out of the
fight.
Regnad Kcin emerges
from the office with the payroll chest of silver, calling the hillmen to
cover him as he takes the loot over the wall. The battering detail moves
to the rear, leaving the magazine door scarred but intact, and the gate
defenders disengage and fall back toward the chief.
The two surviving Scots have no desire to pursue. Grateful for the momentary respite, they seize the wounded Captain and drag him back to the ruins, where McKinnock takes command of the leaderless Fellahin. He is ready to storm the mine again with the combined unit, but there is no need. The hillmen are over the wall with the silver and are moving rapidly to their horses hidden in the hills, while the surviving brigands in the town snatch up what they can and follow suit.
Though spending money will be a bit tight for the next month, the town can take solace in the fact that no dynamite is making its way across the moonlit hills to the bandits' mountain stronghold this night, and, as Sgt. McKinnock mutters to himself, "Weel, half a haggis is better tha' noon atall." Based on his experience with haggis, Capt. Powderbourne is of a different opinion, but he is too weak from his wounds to dispute the issue. He merely nods, as two Fellahin help him forward to the mine in hopes of finding bandages and medical supplies for the Captain-sahib.
RETURN to the Major General's Page
Copyright©1998 David Helber.
No commercial distribution of images or text from any page on this site
without written permission.
