The introduction of pikes and firearms for Infantry was the cause of the extinction of the man-at-arms, although he met them by himself adopting a firearm for use on horseback. This was at first the _petronel_, or _poitrinal_, fired from the breast (_poitrine_) on a rest rising from the saddle bow; then the _harquebus_, or match lock fired from the shoulder; later the _pistol_, a shorter and lighter weapon, used with one hand, which was introduced in Spain in 1520, and in Germany in 1540. But by 1500 fire action had attained superiority over shock action, and the mounted men in armour became definitely inferior to the Infantry, whose bullets pierced their armour, and whose pikes they could seldom break through. Armour was reduced to helmet and cuirass, and the lance given up, not to be revived till two centuries later. ORIGIN OF TRUE CAVALRY IN THE “REITERS” We first find true Cavalry of the modern type in the German “Reiters” of the early sixteenth century, who were disciplined troopers, acting in rank and file in organized bodies, as distinguished from the individual man-at-arms of feudal days. The organization of the Reiters is practically the same as that of the infantry Landsknechts already described. They were similarly raised by their Captains, in bodies termed _Troops_, a name which was soon replaced by a tactical unit composed of several Troops, which arose from the tactical requirements of the battlefield. This was the _Squadron_, a word derived from _squadra_, Italian for _square_, because the earliest bodies of horsemen had equal front and depth. The numbers in a Troop depended on the popularity of the Captain; but Squadrons were of a strength based on the fact that one man could command by voice a body of Cavalry with a front of 50 men. Thus the “Reiter” Squadrons with six ranks were 300 strong, but those of Gustavus, with three ranks, had 150 men. This is still the strength of a Squadron to-day. The Officers of the Troops of Reiters were the _Captain_, still called _Rittmeister_ (or “_Reiter_”-_master_) in Germany to-day; the _Lieutenant_; the _Fähnrich_ (or _Colour-bearer_); the _Wachmeister_ (or _Watch-master_), as the Sergeant-Major is still called; the _Fourier_ (or _Quarter-Master_), charged with allotting quarters and subsistence, and also with reconnaissance, as explained on page 174. He had an assistant, answering to our Q.M.S. Each Troop had a _Trumpeter_. He accompanied the Colour-bearer, whose hornshaped pennon (_Cornette_ in French) gave its name to the officer carrying it, known as “Cornet” down to our day.