Page:Palo'mine (1925).pdf/185

 training should begin with the rudiments of horsemanship. It irked Halsey to have a sergeant watch him while he groomed Palo'mine, but the sergeant soon saw that he was onto his job and let him do as he would.

In pictures which Halsey had seen of cavalry men they had been dashing upon the enemy with flashing sabres and there had been no indication of what went to make a trooper. But he very soon found out. He had never imagined that on a long march he would have to walk twenty-five percent, of the way to rest his horse. He had not thought that each rod of the way a certain course of action would be prescribed, canter ten minutes, trot ten minutes and then rest ten minutes.

In such a matter as marching he had imagined the troopers would be left to themselves. But not so. Everything was prescribed. All these things had been worked out scientifically and the best way discovered. So the rule and the method were always enforced.

Then there were the endless drills, such