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and 4 lbs The average remount price in 1872 was 261. Each regiment is allowed annually 12 per cent. of its strength as its contingent of remounts, also 6 horses bought at an increased rate (77. 10s.) to form the government chargers of subaltern officers, which may, eventually, under certain conditions and on certain payments, become their own property, and lastly a certain number (4 per annum) from the government studs to form officers' chargers of a special class. Subaltern officers, only, are allowed government chargers, which may be taken from the ordinary class of remounts or from those purchased at the higher rate. After riding the same horse 5 years, a subaltern may claim it as his temporary private property on payment of a small sum calculated at the annual cost of supply, according to the class from which the horse is taken, for each of the five years, and must further pay to government 3th of the remount price for each succeeding year, up to 3, that he retains the horse, in monthly instalments. At the end of the 8 years the horse becomes the officer's exclusive property. Subalterns, on promotion, have the same claim, provided they have ridden their government chargers 4 years, or, if transferred to another regiment as subalterns, they may take their chargers with them. In addition to his government charger the subaltern must have one private charger, and it is to furnish officers, who have not the means to purchase such horses, with good chargers, that the 4 horses per annum are allowed to each regiment from the government studs;

the price paid by the officer is the average remount price for the year, distributed over 48 monthly instalments; at the end of the 4 years the animal becomes his own property. The remounts and all horses are purchased by regularly organised 'Commissions,' under the superintendence of a 'Remount Inspector;' there are 22 such commissions, 2 of which are permanent, the others are mobilised according to requirement; if, however, a regiment is stationed at a very great and inconvenient distance from a remountcommission, the commander is empowered to form a commission in his corps and purchase direct.

In his first riding instruction the recruit is longed on a circle without stirrups or bridle, the arms crossed behind the back; when he has acquired an easy seat, generally in about a couple of months, stirrups and reins are allowed; he is taught to jump on and off when the horse is in rapid motion, and everything is done to give him confidence and courage. The subsequent instruction usually takes place in large open manèges, the men riding in single file at considerable intervals, and moving each independently, not together at the word of command, a method which prevents the horses from getting into the very bad habit of themselves turning, &c., at the word, without aid, whether of leg or hand, from the rider, and from wanting all to move together in a mass, so often resulting in the very common difficulty of getting them to leave the ranks when wanted to do so. The men ride short, and are taught to rise in their stirrups

when trotting, a practice which cannot be overrated, and is as necessary, if not more so, for the military as for the cross-country rider; they also ride always with both hands, swords being never drawn, at drill, until the order for attack is given; each man can therefore ride his horse steadily and quietly, keeping his hands low down. These points are especially deserving of notice; the horses move easily and freely, there is no jobbing in the mouth and consequent fretting, but, at the word, all are quietly put into the increased pace together, and it is quite an exception, when moving off at a trot from a walk, to see a single horse at a canter; if occurring, it at once calls forth severe rebuke from the commander. The horses are naturally good jumpers, and they are trained to go over anything-ditch, bank, fence, wall, post and rail, water, &c. The horse is first trained to jump the obstacle in a cavesson, then the rider mounts and puts him over, and the practice is continued till both man and horse are perfect. After being taught to jump anything singly, the practice is continued by squads, sections, and squadrons, beginning with a walk, then at a trot and a gallop; such a thing as a horse refusing a fence in regimental drill is almost unknown, and the section or squadron will preserve its dressing completely. Regiments are constantly practised in debouching, at a trot, in 'single column' from a village or other cover over broken ground and a series of obstacles, for deployment on an open country beyond, and in these exercises the greatest

attention is paid to every horse being kept at the pace ordered, to correct dressing and to the closing up of the column. Another point worthy of notice is the absence of all noise or shouting when at drill; before giving a word of command the commander calls or sounds the 'Attention' (Habt Acht), at the same time raising his sword vertically over the head, the division and squadron leaders doing the same, and the section leaders, who do not draw swords, raising the right arm; he thereby attracts the attention of all to himself; then follows the actual order, and the leaders give the necessary words to their squadrons; but no movement is commenced, even when on the move, until the 'March' is given, or, in the manoeuvring of large bodies of cavalry, the 'executive signal' (Ausführungs-Zeichen) is sounded, the leaders at the same time bringing their swords (the section leaders their arms) with a sweep in the direction of the march or movement. Then all move off together; if the order is to wheel about, the sword or arm is swung round the head. Section commanders give no commands at all; the section is taught to follow its leader wherever he may ride, the centre-man keeping directly behind him; the responsibility of leading it correctly rests with the leader. With the exception of the squadron leaders, and on certain occasions of the division leaders, no one has anything to say excepting the officer behind the front (hinter der Front), the senior subaltern in the squadron, who is responsible for the discipline and order of the squad

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ron. This method-1st, the 'Attention,' given previous to the actual command; 2nd, the March' or 'executive signal,' for carrying out the command; 3rd, the principle of supplementing commands by signals with the sword-facilitates enormously the command of so large a body of men as an Austrian cavalry regiment of some 900 horsemen, and indeed is the only possible method to ensure regularity, precision, and simultaneous action.

The aim of the drill regulations is simplicity in the mechanism and rapidity of formation; in the short service system this is above all necessary. The basis of the Austrian drill is the principle 'Follow my leader': the man's instruction is carried out during the winter months in the section alone; when perfected in the section, he should be ready and fit to drill successively in the squadron, division, and larger units; in the ranks, the men of the section have nothing to do but to keep closed to their centre-man, whose sole business it is to keep always two paces behind the section leader, and to follow him wherever he may ride. The drill is the nonpivot system; whatever squadron happens for the moment to be on the right of the regiment in line or at the head, in column, is always No. I; whatever section is on the right of the squadron in line, or at the head, in column, is always No. 1. Clubbing is therefore impossible. The drill is laid down clearly in the following pages; in the chapter on the attack it will be noticed that a 'marked enemy' is always

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