When will this audacious ruffian, The Emir of Wadi Foulyam, receive his come-uppance? He has defied a diplomatic order from Her Majesty's Commissioner to  cease and desist in his immoral support for piracy and the trade in human slaves with the arrogant suggestion that his affairs are his own, and now, he had defied an expedition of Her Majesty's finest, sent under the command of Brigadier Douglas to reduce the Emir's lair at Tel El Hublei.

Our correspondent sends this report. For details about the regiments involved and other technical details, please turn to the article by our military advisor.

In order to prepare for the attack, the Bold MacDuff volunteered to go ashore disguised as an American merchant adventurer. The Admiral spoke very highly of the detailed and accurate picture he brought back of affairs around el Hublei although Brigadier Douglas seemed to have been somewhat dubious about the value, completeness and accuracy of the information. According to MacDuff's report, the Emir's stronghold is situated on the Bay of Naud on the coastal plain. With uncommon activity for a Turk, the Emir had recently erected entrenchments overlooking the only suitable landing places near the fort   but MacDuff was able to find a little known cove down the coast only 3 hours march across the Bheeg Mountains by means of the Nharo Pass. The Emir's forces were reported to consist of several heavy guns, at least 3 regiments of infantry,  some Bashi Bazouk horsemen and a few local villagers.  The Sheik Ar-Makpha  who rules the desert beyond the mountains seems to have had some sort of arrangement with the Emir but  this seems  to have eluded MacDuff's notice as he did not mention them in his report.

The British forces  which the Admiral managed to land at the cove and place at the Brigadier's disposal consisted principally of 4 regiments of infantry, the 42nd Royal Highlanders, 93rd Highlanders, Royal Marines and a composite Indian battalion  supported by the 11th Hussars, a battery of Royal Horse artillery and a naval landing party with rockets.

Calling upon his extensive experience on the North-West Frontier,  Douglas immediately dispatched a company of the Guides to scale Mt. Hublei in order to take command of the high ground and veering left, engage the inhabitants  of Port Hublei.   Napier's rifles were ordered to ascend the slopes overlooking the pass and secure the columns left flank. With Pipes skirling and drums beating, the 93rd  stepped off accompanied by the RHA with the 11th Hussars riding boldly ahead. Despite a scattering of musket fire from the hilltop village of EL Shepardi, the column made good progress and the Hussars were soon at the mouth of the pass and in sight of the Emir's fort where the HMS Invisible had just arrived and was opening fire on the seaward walls.

At this point, however, all hell broke loose. From the top of the highest tower in El Shepardi, an Arab voiced called out to Allah and 2 dozen robed tribesmen leapt from concealment and raced down towards the flank of the column while to the rear, an ominous dust cloud exploded into another  horde of Arab warriors, racing for the unescorted supply cart. Only fast action by the disciplined British troops saved the day. A blast of cannister stopped the villagers dead while the Black Watch and Marines hurriedly deployed to  cover the rear.

The Arabs rush the column from flank and rear.	The same moment  looking towards the  fort.

The Hussars spurred forward to clear the way but with the 93rd, RHA & rocket battery engaged with the villagers and the 42nd & Marines engaged by the Arabs of the desert, only the 2 companies of Napier's Rifles remained to support them against the Emir's entire army which was forming up on the plain. A flurry of charge and countercharge between Hussars and Bashi Bazouks entailed but the supporting fire of the Emir's Zouaves was too much and when first Sgt Roch and then the ill fated Capt. Nolan fell to the Turks' sharp scimitars, the remnants of the Hussars retreated in some disorder back to the valley where Douglas himself had to rally them.

The villagers had been driven up the slope but the British commanders were loathe to risk the lives of their men assaulting through the vines so they relied on artillery, rockets and rifle fire to smash the villager's will to fight. The first rocket soared in the sky, wavered slightly, then smashed into one of the buildings,  sending Arabs scampering for cover. A second rocket soared high, then catching the wind, turned and hurtled back towards the launcher. Bravely, Petty Officer Bloggins leapt forward and, throwing himself on the rocket, sacrificed himself to safe his men.

On the slopes of Mt. Hublei, the Guides and Napiers were getting the worst of an exchange of fire with villagers supported by Turkos when again came the fierce cries of  "Allah Akbar" and a party of Dervish spearmen who had been on a  pilgrimage to Mecca dashed up the hill pushing the Rifles back. Encouraged, the Turko's pressed ahead and only a charge by the remaining Hussars, led by Douglas in person, held them back. Grimly the Rifles rallied and firing rapidly and accurately they threw the villagers back.

In the rear, steady rifle fire threw back a charge by Arab infantry who resorted to long range sniping. To drive them back, the Black Watch wheeled forward, opening a gap in the line. In a flash, the Sheik's camelmen charged through the gap and surrounded the supply wagon and nurse Small. As the fierce tribesmen closed on the wagon, one man stood guard, Cpl. Baird, pioneer of the Ft. Henry Guard attached to the Royal Marines. Roaring out "God Save the Queen" he whirled his sappers axe over his head and hewed the head off an Arab camel. The rest of them turned and fled. The wagon and Sister Small were safe.

By now the shadows were lengthening. The HMS Invisible, her gun decks a shambles and her starboard batteries dismounted, had given up the effort to silence the fort. Napier's was holding, just. The Guides, cut off, leaderless, and reduced to 1/2 strength, had retreated to the boats carrying the body of their Naik. The rest of the British infantry and artillery was in fine shape but the Hussars had been reduced to an escort for Brigadier Douglas.

With the Arabs still clinging to the flank and rear and the Emir's forces almost untouched and holding the mouth of the pass, it was obvious that it would be fool hardy to continue the attack. Reluctantly Douglas gave the order to fallback and re-embark.

The view at the end of the day.

The following letter has been received  in response to our article on the late expedition to  Tel El Hublei. The opinions expressed there in do not represent the  opinions of the editors of the New Durban Times. We would like to assure the readers of the Times that we will follow up the scurrilous allegations of public misdoing with journalistic impartiality and if any wrong doing is uncovered, we will report it.   Our technical advisor has investigated and found that the bayonets supplied were indeed perfectly good but that it is possible that the Emir's troops had somehow been supplied with equivalent weapons.   - Mr. Ian Arthur Morris MacDuff,  Editor in Chief

The Editors
New Durban Times

Further to recent accounts in your journal regarding the operations of HM forces against the Emir of Wadi Foulyami, it may interest your readers to learn that HM Quartermasters are very concerned regarding inferior weaponry provided to the Indian Army for use in these operations. Our firm has been retained by HMQM to investigate the inferior quality of bayonets provided by MacDuff Ironworks, owned and operated by Mister Scrooge MacDuff of Hubley Mills in your province. We would appreciate any information that your readers may be able to supply in regard to our investigations.

The evidence from the officers and men of the field force indicate that the bayonets provided by MacDuff Ironworks immediately prior to the expedition proved worse than useless in combat. Despite Mr. MacDuff's claims that use of his bayonets would provide our infantry with superior hand to hand fighting ability vis a vis the Emir's forces, these shattered easily and left our forces at a disadvantage. It was only the talents of the officers in charge and the fighting skills of the common British and Indian soldiers that enabled our forces to stave off the vastly superior numbers of the enemy.

On examination following the actions against the Emir, it was determined that the bayonets were poorly manufactured and used an inferior grade of iron quite unsuited for the intended purpose. It remains to be seen whether this arose from the parsimonious tendencies of the Northern British or from more sinister motives. In particular, we are investigating communications and arrangements of a most incriminating nature between Mr. MacDuff and the Sheikh Ar-Makpha, who lately assisted the Emir. Also implicated in our investigations is the Major MacDuff who provided criminally erroneous reconnaissance information to Brigadier MacDuff. The exact relationship between Mr. Scrooge MacDuff, Major MacDuff and the Sheikh has not been established but it is clear that the three are implicated in the recent repulse at the Tel El-Hublei.

Any information which may your readers believe would assist our investigations should be forwarded to my attention at the address noted on our letterhead.

Augustus Boryng, QC

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 For technical details, please turn to the article by our military advisor.

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