buy; and then commenced our preliminary
instruction. The first manoeuvre imparted to us
was to "stand at ease" – a useful lesson, teaching
us not only the knowledge of a strategic
evolution, but giving us quite a new insight into
the meaning of the English language. In our
former benighted ignorance we might possibly
have imagined that to stand at ease meant to
put our hands in our pockets, to lean against the
wall, or to lounge in any easy and comfortable
manner; but we now learned that, in order to
stand really at ease, we should strike the palm
of our left hand very smartly with the palm of
our right, then fold the right over the back of the
left in front of us, protrude our left foot, throwing
the weight of the body on the right, and, in fact,
place ourselves as nearly as possible in the
attitude of Pantaloon when he is first changed by
the fairy, minus his stick. It is an elegant and
telling manoeuvre this, when properly executed,
and, possibly, not very difficult of acquirement;
but we did not fall into it all at once; there was
a diversity of opinion among us as to which was
the proper foot to be advanced, and when that
was settled, we were at variance as to which
was our right foot and which our left, so that it
was not until the sergeant had many times
sarcastically assured us that " he couldn't hear them
hands come smartly together as he'd wished – not
like a row of corks a-poppin' one after the other,
but all at once;" nor until the stiff corporal had
paraded up and down behind us, muttering, in a
low tone, " Them left feet advanced – no! no!
them left feet advanced," that we were
considered sufficiently perfect in this respect, and
allowed to pass on to grander evolutions. The
same difficulty was attendant upon these. On
being told to " right face," two gentlemen, of
diametrically opposed views on the subject,
would find themselves face to face instead of
being one behind the other, and neither would
give way until they were set right by the
sergeant.

It was not until after some time that we
hit upon the golden principle of drill, which is –
NEVER TO THINK AT ALL! Listen, pay attention
to the word of command as it is given, and then
follow your first impulse; it will generally be the
right one. But the recruit who hesitates, is lost.
Under the present system, the simplest
movements are taught not by example, but in
directions composed of long sentences abounding in
technical expressions, listening to which the
unhappy learner, long before the sergeant has come
to the middle of his direction, is oblivious of the
first part, ignorant of the meaning of the last,
and in a thorough fog as to the whole. These
directions are learnt parrot-wise by the sergeants,
and repeated in a monotonous and unintelligible
tone; the men who make use of them know no
more what they are saying than those who are
addressed, and an example two minutes long
does more good than an hour's precept. It is
perfectly true that to the educated intelligence
of the volunteers is due the superiority which,
so far as rapidity of progress is concerned, they
have shown over the ordinary recruits; but a
very slight exercise of this educated intelligence
will suffice for most of the evolutions.

When the command has been received upon
the tympanum, act upon it at once, without
pausing to reflect. You will see many intelligent
men bring upon themselves the wrath of
their sergeant, simply because, in analysing and
pondering on his instructions, they have missed the
right time for action, and are half a minute or so
behind the rest of their company. For instance,
the command is given "At the word 'Fours'
the rear-rank will step smartly off with the left
foot, taking a pace to the rear – Fours!" Or, in
the sergeant's language, "Squad! 'shun! at
th'wud ' Foz' the rer-rank will stepsma't lyoff-wi'
th'leffut, tekkinapesstoth' rare – Fo-o-o-res!"
the last word being uttered in a prolonged and
discordant bellow. A reflective gentleman in
the rear-rank, first translates this dialect into the
ordinary language of civilised life, and then
proceeds to ponder on its meaning; and when he
has discovered it, he probably finds himself
deserted by his comrades, who have taken up a
position a pace behind him, and an object of
disgust to the sergeant, who, looking at him
more in pity than in anger, says, in a hoarse
whisper, "Now, Number Three – what, wrong
agin!"

When I remember the unique series of
performances that inaugurated our first lessons in
marching, I cannot imagine that we were then
the same set of Grimgribber volunteers who
defiled so steadily before her Majesty the other day,
amidst the bravos of enthusiastic crowds. I
think our original evolutions were even
sufficient to astonish our sergeant, a man not
easily overcome; for, at the conclusion of the
first lesson, I observed him retreat to a distant
corner of the parade-ground, strike himself a
heavy blow on the chest, and ejaculate, " Well,
if hever!" three distinct times. I recollect that
two-thirds of our number had peculiar theories
of their own, and that each trying his own plan
led to confusion. For instance, the gentleman who
would step off with his right foot, at the third step
found his leg firmly wedged between the ankles
of his precursor, and utterly lost the use of that
limb; the light and swinging gait which was
admirably adapted for the pursuit of a country
postman, was found scarcely to tally with the
sober, slodgy walk of two-thirds of the corps,
who were accordingly trodden down from the
calf to the heel, and who did not view the
matter with all the equanimity which good
fellowship should engender. A third step, of a
remedial tendency, consisting of a wide straddling
of the legs, and an encircling of the feet
of the person immediately in front of you by
your own, was not agreeably received by the
sergeant, and had to be abandoned: so it was
some time before we presented that unanimity
of action which is necessary to satisfactory
marching.

But we stuck to it manfully and progressed
well. The sergeant, who at first seemed disposed
to give us up in despair, because he could not
swear at us as was his custom, began to take an