(vi) During the advance they will take all leaderless men of other companies and corps under their command, and keep them until the action is over, or the force re-forms. 5. The frontage occupied by a company acting independently depends on the nature of the operation. There may be a considerable gap between the frontal and the flank attacks; and a portion of the company, extended at wide intervals, may be told off merely to hold the enemy, while the remainder, at closer intervals, make the decisive attack. The rule that a strong firing-line should be established in a good fire-position at a decisive range must always be observed by the portion of the company which is told off for the decisive attack; and although the men need not be so close as in the case of larger forces, still, to dislodge an enemy of nearly equal strength, the firing-line, at decisive range, should not be weaker than one rifle to every two or three yards of front. 6. When the company is acting in concert with the remainder of the battalion, its frontage, as a rule, will be assigned by the battalion commander. 7. The company commander must always be guided by circumstances in deciding on the strength of his firing-line, and on the formation of the remainder. The general procedure will be to gradually reinforce the scouts, when they are checked by the enemy’s fire, and thus build up a firing line, which, at decisive range, shall be strong enough to gain superiority over the enemy’s fire. This procedure is, however, by no means to be regarded as invariable. It might be desirable, for instance, to deploy the whole company at once in the firing line. S. =153= (3). This may sometimes be advisable on open ground without cover, when less loss would be incurred than by gradually reinforcing a weaker firing-line. 8. In order that tactical unity may be maintained as long as possible, it will usually be advisable that complete squads or sections be extended on the first advance, further reinforcements being furnished by the other squads of the same sections, or other sections of the same half company. THE BATTALION IN ATTACK. =151.= GENERAL RULES. 1. The battalion commander is practically in the same position as the commander of a brigade, with the exception that he has under him eight small units instead of four large units. 2. Nevertheless, so limited are his powers of personal control upon the field of battle, that success, as a rule, will depend on the clearness and comprehensiveness of the order which commits his companies to the attack, as well as on the manner in which he has trained his company leaders. It is of importance, therefore, that the battalion should never be hurried into action; but that time should be taken for a survey of the ground, for the issue of orders, and for the instructions to be given by the company leaders to their subordinates and the men.