The Advocate and news., 1898-12-21
" aoPXElqHT1 1893, SV Ae:p'''Neo " -sPANN''Nl

But even before Barclays books were
unpacked the new captain had found
means to interest the young fellow in
professional topics that Lawrence had
never seemed to mention. Barclay had
evidently been taking counsel with pro.
gressive soldiers before joining his new
regiment, had been reading books Of
their choosing and, among others, was
a valuable treatise on the proper method
Of biting horses, and he found that here
was matter shat Lawrence and Bray
ton had never thought Of and that Bray
ton said was never taught them at the
Point, which was strictly true
To the amaze and unspeakable indig-
nation Of Denny Sullivan, who was
soon to be overhauled OH graver points,
the doughboy had taken his lieutenant
from horse to horse in the troop as they
stood at rest during drill and shown
him at least 30 bits out Of the do in
line that were no flt at all. He showed
him some that were too broad from bar
to bar and that slid Co and fro in the
tortured creatures mouth; others that
hung too low, almost "fell through; :"
others whose curb chain or strap, in
stead Of fitting in the groove, bore saw
agely on the delicate bones above it and
tormented the luckless charger every
time his rider drew rein. Barclay gave
the boy his own carefully studied hand.
book. Not another cavalry officer then
at Worth had read it, though several
had heard Of it. The youngster was set
to work fitting new bits by measure
ment to the mouth OF every horse in the
troop.
Then Barclay drew him into the dis.
Cussion Of the cavalry system Of sad
ding as then presCribed--the heavy
tree set away forward close to the
withers-and Brayton could only say
that "that was tactics and the way
they'd always done it" But Galahad
pointed out that the tactics then in use
were written Of foreign dragoon sad
die with a long fat bearing surface. 1t
was all very we'll for that to be set as
far forward as it would go, because
even then the center Of gravity Of the
rider would be well back on the horse.
"But, said he, 'you take this short
Mcclellan tree, place that away foT-
ward, and then set man in it. His
center Of gravity will rest in front Of
the center Of motion of the horse--will
throw the weight on the forehead and
use up his knees and shoulders in no
time. " This, too, set Brayton to study.
ing and thinking, while Mullane and
Fellows declared Sir Galahad crank,
and even Brooks and Blythe, welded
to tradition, thought him visionary.
Then when the books came Galahad
unpaOked, and just where the poker ta-
bic used to stand it stood now, but it
was covered with beautiful maps Of
Alsace and Lorraine, and Galahad's
desk with pamphlets sent him from
abroad, the earliest histories of the
memorable campaign about Metz and
Sedan.
The next thing Brayton knew he was
as deeply interested as his captain, and
10, other men came to look and wonder
and go off shaking their heads-those
Of them who were of the Mullane per.
suasiOn sneering at those "book gen.
erals, while others, like Blythe, pulled
up chair as invited and followed the
Junior captain through his modest ex-
PLANTATION with appreciative eyes. Those
were days when there was all too little
time for study and Improvement thanks
to the almost incessant Indian scouting
required, but here was Worth, big
post, and here was a four troop battal-
ion with gentleman and not a bad
soldier at it's head, and it had not oc-
CURED to him to teach them anything
or 70 require Of them anything beyond
fhA. usual attention n gtAhlss. troop