203 



Mark !" attended as it is by " taking form," is 

 best calculated to give to the arms the neces- 

 sary freedom of action : and as, with the poise 

 of your body thus thrown on your left limb, 

 nine in ten of your shots will in general be 

 taken, I do riot choose to interrupt its perfect 

 attainment by diverting your attention, at the 

 time, to a different mode of coming somewhat 

 more instantly from the " Carry arms !" to the 

 " Present !" But it was not without a view to 

 the manifest superior convenience of instant 

 shift into this action, so necessary to be attained, 

 that I have prescribed the mode of carrying 

 arms to be an inversion of the usual one : and 

 whatever may be otherwise derived from it, the 

 advantages arising from its adoption will be still 

 more conspicuous here. I revert to the drill, 

 at the motion of " Carry arms !" and beg to 

 refer to the recapitulated directions for its per- 

 formance*, in order to explain our new-intended 

 manoeuvre. " In the attitude of an easy walk, 

 your gun imbedded between the inside of your 

 left arm and your side ; your hand considerably 

 below the chest, with a partial support upon 

 the hip." Now, " without altering the grasp of 

 your left hand, bring your gun across towards 

 the right, raising the stock upwards a little, 



* See Drill Exercise, p. 177. 



