3rd drum--“A flam.” The centre division stood fast; the right division advanced, and the left division reined back, each two horses’ lengths. 4th drum--“A flam.” The front and rear divisions passaged to right and left and covered off, thus forming the troop in three ranks. 5th drum--“A march.” The quartermasters led the troops to their proper position in squadron. 6th drum--“A flam.” Officers rode to their posts (troop-leaders on the flank of their troops), facing their troops. 7th drum--“A flam.” The officers halted, and turned about to their proper front. Then the word was given--“Take care” (which meant “Attention”). “Draw your swords;” and the regiment was thus ready to receive the three squadron standards, which were escorted on to the ground and posted in the ranks, in the centre of the three squadrons. Each squadron was then told off into half-squadrons, into three divisions, into half-ranks, into fours, and into files. As there are many people who do not know how to tell off a squadron by fours, it may be as well to mention how it was done. The men were not numbered off, but the officer went down each rank, beginning at the right-hand man, and said to the first, “You are the right-hand man of ranks by fours.” Then going on to the fourth he said, “You are the left-hand man of ranks by fours,” and so on. Telling off by files was a simpler affair. The officer rode down the ranks, pointing to each man, and saying alternately, “You move,” “You stand,” “You move,” “You stand.” Conceive what the confusion must have been if the men took it into their heads to be troublesome. “Beg your honour’s pardon, but you said I was to stand,” is the kind of speech that must have been heard pretty often in those days, when field movements went awry. If the mounted parade went no further, the men marched back to their quarters in fours, each of the three ranks separately; for in those days “fours” meant four men of one rank abreast. If field movements were practised, the system and execution thereof were left to the Colonel, unhampered by a drill-book. There was, however, a batch of “evolutions” which were prescribed by regulation, and required of every regiment when inspected by the King or a general officer. As these “evolutions” lasted, with some modification, till the end of the century, and (such is human nature) formed sometimes the only instruction, besides the manual exercise, that was imparted to the regiment, it may be as well to give a brief description thereof in this place. The efficiency of a regiment was judged mainly from its performance of the evolutions, which were supposed to be a searching test of horsemanship, drill, and discipline.