by Chris Engle
Heinrich Schliemann "Discoverer of Troy" is up river – at Haffar – looking for the lost tomb of the Firons. The coming war leads him to send a message home via Juan Ibrahim. Richard Cook came to Dar as Salaam due to the clean desert air. He was sick but is better now. Which is good because the Bank of England has work for him. As rumors of an invasion by the British circulate, Mullah Amad asks his dear friend M. Lebo to have colorful banners made for display throughout Dar as Salaam. The banners have the following quotations in English and in Arabic:
"No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself" Hadith "One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts" Yoruba Proverb from Nigeria And so the Mullah's psychological campaign against the Brits begins. Captain Turrene has a unseemly affair with a local woman – Kiswar Alam – From whom he learns that the peasants resent Turkish rule and may be stockpiling swords south of the city. M DuPrey orders and end to the liaison. Turrene complies but is angered by the interference. Ali Baba, the famous bandit, is know for his generosity to the poor and his wide network of spies. They say he is a slaver and that many of his men are armed with Mausers purchased from the Fulani of Lake Chad. Truly he is a hero of the people! The Bey is only able to rely on his Turkish regulars and Mamluke Cavalry. His cannon are ancient and the Arabs are unreliable. Sheik Husein of Omra, leader of the Arab tribe Banu al Hakim, Commands his tribe and a unit of black slave soldiers. Unofficially he is recognized as the defender of Dar as Salaam's southern boarder. Officially though he is nothing more than a village headman. Dar as Salaam: 1880 British Invasion Matrix Game Back to Table of Contents -- Matrix Gamer #11 To Matrix Gamer List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Chris Engle. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com |