The next morning at daybreak they marched off. Terence rode at their head,
Herrara at the rear of the regiment, and each captain at the head of his
company. From time to time Terence rode up and down the line, and ordered
the men to keep step.
"It is just as easy," he said to the captains, "for the men to do so as to
walk along anyhow, and they will find that the sound of all the footfalls
together helps them to march steadily and lessens fatigue. Never mind
about the slope of their muskets; you must not harass them about little
things, else they will get sulky; it will all come gradually."
Four marches of twenty miles each took them over the mountains in four
days. The Portuguese marched well, and not a single man fell out from the
ranks, while at the end of the day they were still fresh enough to allow
of an hour's drill. Even in that short time there was a very appreciable
difference in their appearance. They had already learned to keep their
distances on the march, to slope their muskets more evenly on their
shoulders, and to carry themselves with a more erect bearing. The first
two drills had been devoted to teaching them how to load and aim, the
other two to changes of formation, from column into line and back again.
"They would make fine soldiers, sir," Bull said, on the fourth evening,
"after they have had six months' drill.
Pages:
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335