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 a serious infantry attack develops the machine guns will be able to retire to a fresh position. In anticipation of this, the battery commanders will have sent scouts to the rear directly the guns are in position, and they should personally examine the new line to be taken up, and select the gun positions for each section. One scout should remain in the new position of each section and the other return to the gun horses of his section, to guide them when the moment for retiring takes place.

The gun horses should be as near the guns in action as possible; but should the position be such that this is impossible without exposing the horses to fire, then all the spare rifles of the gun-team must be used to open rapid fire to conceal the fact that the gun is being moved. The guns of each section must arrange with each other to cover their own retirement, but the battery commander must issue the order in the first instance and will arrange which sections move first.

Where the pressure is great and co-operation difficult, it may be advisable to retire by half sections along the whole front at the same moment; thus the right guns of sections may be ordered to retire on a given signal, while the left guns cover them by a heavy continuous fire. If this method of retirement is adopted, it will be necessary for the second position to be within long range of the first, which is not always advisable in covering a retreat. It will seldom