From SanderS: Humpday at Docherty's Docks (110 pts)

Hoi,

The dust clouds willow above Cook's Crevasse as a small caravan leaves this landmark on it's way to Docherty's Docks. It is accompanied by the braying of... camels!

"Corr Williams, how's Lord Campell doing?" the redcoated soldier supports his comrade who's looking a bit the worse for wear, as he takes a peak into the doolie carried by two carriers. His browncoated fellow raises his weary head and looks at the carrying bed as well: "well dear Millsy, he's going off his rocker for sure. He's babbling about climbing up Peaks in search for treasure, paragliding - whatever that may be-, arranging his garden and something with balloons and champaign." Williams raises his brow and shakes his head: "I can't stand balloons, awfull things really." Corporal Millsy nods symphatically and shrugs "I think Lord Campbell is groing a lot of white hairs lately and to be honest he seems a tinge blue to me too."

-

Their intellectual discussion is interrupted by some loud Bactrian noises and curses coming from the back of the caravan. "SODDIT! Millenium-hand-and-shrimp!" the sounds are coming from one of two rotan baskets hanging off the sides of a ship of the desert. From the other one a rather more coherent voice speaks up "Private Roussel mind the language you horrible little badger!" more whining emerges from the other basket "But Sergeant-Major Docherty, I got my arse stuck in this infernal contraption, I was only trying to get into a different pose, my budgie smuglers keep riding up!" The sergeant-major bristles with silent outrage at this un-soldierly behaviour. "You really are a disgrace you sorry excuse for a soldier, stop pretending to be a sandbag and stand to you daft..." more camel braying and dust clouds prevent us from hearing the sergeant's opinion of poor private Roussel.

In a crop of palmtrees a couple of locals anxiously watch the proceedings. "Da? Do you think the British have noticed us?" a young lad, he just could be 8 years old is carrying his father's sword and shield while the latter is pouring a tanker of arrack from a skin. "Well I think they're rather busy feeling sorry for themselves so no I don't think they did." His son doesn't seem to be put at ease. "Yeah, but dad, we did nick these camels from the British army, won't they be mad when they find out?" His dad smiles "Son, the real British army is hard as nails and would surely have our hides off our backs for taking these poor beasties, but that lad over there would be better off at home in their own cold lands, sitting in some dingy dark room painting toy soldiers..."

Off course DaveD would ask us to do something with camels and having loads of Indian Mutiny figures still in cue, I jumped at this opportunity. The two prone camels (nicked by Indian Arthur and Sander) are actually camels gifted to me by the great man himself during our Camel-duel last year, or was that two years ago Dave? Time flies when you're painting camels for sure.

Now as to scoring these, since none of the camels is actually mounted by just one figure I am going to score them all as single 28mm foot figures, including Curt in his doolie carrying bed. That amounts to:
- 11 figures + 3 camels = 14 x 5 =  70 points, which together with the 30 points of the Docks is a nice round 100 points for the total!

So now I am off painting stuff to hitch a ride in a Balloon: in real life I REALLY hate balloons, sorry dear lady Sarah. Oh and guess what I hate as well? Yup, champagne...

From DaveD - ah Sander that’s an excellent tale of camel skulduggery - and I am not not just talking  about Ray there. Very nicely executed camels there to. So a classic Docherty’s Dock entry on Hump day I reckon earns 110 points