The reading ended, the assemblage broke up and dispersed, leaving the military to honor the day and orator in the manner already intimated, during which many national and sentimental toasts were drunk; after which they returned into the village in the military order they had left it for the purpose of parading. Various evolutions were performed; among them occasionally a left wheeling for a right--a countermarch for a right or left face--keeping time with right or left foot indifferently. They carried arms either upon the right or left--trailing, supporting, sloping, advancing--just as it suited their own whim; in other words, _will_. In vain did their commander command, threaten or entreat. A volunteer, bolder than the rest, went so far as to ask the captain, "If he had forgot what they had heard from the Declaration?" and hinting at his being commander so long as they willed it. They felt that they were the sovereign people and only citizen soldiers. At the order "halt!" they came to a stand, and were drawn out in a line, facing the stream, for the purpose of firing their _feu de joie_--an apt simile, by the way, of the state of their minds after the closing scene of the hill. The orders for execution were simply, "prime and load--ready--fire!" which was executed with tolerable precision. Three rounds being fired, they were ordered to "right face!" in order to file off and resume their march; but few only obeying the order, some confusion took place in the ranks. "_Right face!_" again vociferated the captain, whose impatience for shaking off his brief authority was very apparent. Still the contumaceous kept their position, declaring that they would not "_budge_" until they had received the word to fire a fourth round, for which they had already loaded. A dispute arose between the officers and men--the former asserting and endeavoring to enforce their authority--the latter denying and obstinately determined not to move until they had received the word to discharge their pieces, considering the reservation of their fire until the order be given a sufficient evidence of their subordination. The captain finally yielded, and crying out, "make ready--fire!" the fourth round went off, and the men filed off without further hesitation; some at a common time--some at a quickstep--some skipping, and one hopping; the captain brandishing his cutlass over the _drummer's_ pate for not "_treading in a straight line_"--the _fifer_ blowing off fractions of marches and quicksteps, and the lieutenants endeavoring to keep order in the ranks. In this style they once more marched out of the village, to partake for the last time of the refreshment at the hill, and crown the celebration. The sun was just reclining upon the western mount when they made their third and final entry into the village, in a march, technically known as the "rout march," thereby showing that the effect of the "old corn" was predominating.