Vengance on Vectis! (Or; Feel Her Majesty's Wrath!)

        Rightfully wroth at the treatment given to Her Majesty's surveying expedition the Full Might and Righteous Anger of the Britannic Forces were brought to bear against the "bandits" that were responsible. Deep suspicions about the way in which the "bandits" had acquired a cannon in the last battle were set quietly aside (no doubt these will be addressed soon!) on the theory that you can only solve one problem at a time.

     Spurning the offer of a couple of regiments of local troops the English began to hunt the bandits. By a series of rapid marches the British were able to trap the Bandit army before it could escape to its mountain fastness; the speed of their retreat was shown by the fact that the Bandits discarded their cannon during their flight. All was to no avail as they were trapped in a narrow valley just miles short of their mountain home. Knowing that escape was now impossible they turned like cornered rats to face the Fury of the Sons of Albion.

 

the bandit army deployed to cover the escape of its baggage train their flanks were well secured

 but the vast open area between the armies did not bode well against the firepower of the Brits

 

in an attempt to bring the Brits to battle the Bandits advanced

the British waited and lashed the enemy with concentrated rifle fire

 

the next turn saw the bandit line begin to fall apart 

with the cavalry and elephants suffering particularly badly

 

one elephant made it into contact and the "Devils in dresses" fought heroically;

losing four of their own but slaying the fearsome beast

 

elsewhere the effective British fire pined most of the bandit line

 

the general joined the cavalry to try to rally them 

just before they took fire from the British artillery

 

four more were slain including the Bandit leader 

(his fetish for dressing as Teddy Roosevelt will forever go unexplained now)

 

oblivious to the carnage to their right a unit of Ghazis charged through the woods

and caught the Boer Mounted Infantry and wiped them out to a man

 

they now found themselves alone and far ahead of the rest of the army

 

and soon felt the power of British rifles being wiped out in their turn

the rest of the bandit force slipped away into the evening gloom

       A very lop-sided win for the Sons of Albion, but they had not recovered the prisoners or stamped out the bandit menace. Pursuit was a must, failure was not an option, an example must be set!