Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #18 September 2015 | Page 93

The light guns and cavalry escort made the
trip down the road and then across the desert without
encountering any rebels or other difficulties. To the
south of the rebel town, they were easily able to position themselves in the shadow of their target tower and
close to within half a mile. The guns were unhitched
and set up quickly by the well drilled crews.

Then the steady breeze cleared away the smoke
to reveal that the tower still stood. Only the side facing
the guns had fallen.
“Reload!”

Lieutenant Engler personally placed the marker stakes to line up the guns and calculated the range.
Both guns were loaded and ready.

The guns were reloaded and fired again, A
gun’s shell passed though the collapsed side facing the
guns and stuck the back wall. B gun’s shell hit falling
bricks as the entire tower was collapsing, a torrent
of bricks covering the gabions and the rebel cannon
under a mound of rubble.

Gun A fired first. Its shell dropped short and
exploded in the town at the base of the wall. Gun B
fired next, its shell struck the hill behind and to the
right. Both crews reloaded and manhandled the guns
back into position between the marking stakes.

“Good shooting, men.” Engler congratulated
his gun crews while cursing under his breath, that
missed fifth shot had cost him ten guineas. Still look
on the bright side, Ambrose Charterhouse was a terrible card player.

“Gun A up ten, B left twelve and down four.”
A fired—this shot struck the ground twenty
yards short of the tower. B then fired—its shell passed
just to the right of the tower about mid way up and
vanished into the distance.

#

“Gun A up five, B left three.”
Both guns were loaded and fired again. A gun’s
shell struck the base of the tower and exploded there
but threw up clouds of dirt not brick. B gun’s shell
hit the edge of the tower and blew a great hole in the
brick structure.
“Gun A up another two, B spot on.”

By the road, the bulk of the British force waited, officers watching the tower fall through binoculars.
“Ten guineas to you Ambrose.”
“Yes sir, close though, I nearly ended up owing
money to the artillery. Oh the disgrace.”
voice.

Both guns were loaded and fired again. A hit
the upper part of the tower and blasted another great
hole in the brick structure. B missed, its shell flew past
the tower by no more than a few feet.

General Summerby chuckled then raised his
“Advance!”

“Damn it, reload and line them up this time!”
The gun crews reloaded both guns and checked
they were lined up to the marker stakes. “Fire A.”
A belched flame and smoke—its shell flew
across the distance and slammed into the tower shattering the upper section of the tower and sending
a cascade of bricks down its hollow centre. B gun
fired—its shell struck the middle of the tower and

with a great cloud of smoke and dust the entire tower
collapsed. The ruin was hidden behind the dust; it was
gone on the eighth shot. The gun crew cheered.

Greyhound led them forward, smoke pouring
from her stack as her tracks dug into the soft sand
beyond the road. Behind her, the Ironsides lumbered
forward. Both platoons of infantry waited until she
was