drill
the three hundred men of the garrison, taking them in parties of
twenty. They were thus able, in the course of a few days, to pick out
the most active and intelligent for the sub-officers; and these, with
the existing officers of the body, and the new ones appointed by the
rajah, were at once taken in hand to be taught their duty.

For a month, the work went on steadily and without interruption, and
from morn till night the courtyard echoed with the words of command.
At the end of that time, the twenty officers and forty sub-officers
had fairly learned their duty. The natives of India are very quick in
learning drill, and a regiment of newly-raised Sepoys will perform
manoeuvres and answer to words of command, in the course of a
fortnight, as promptly and regularly as would one of English recruits
in three months.

A good many changes had taken place during the month's work. Many of
the officers became disgusted with hard and continuous work, to which
they were unaccustomed, while some of the sub-officers showed a
deficiency of the quickness and intelligence needed for the work.
Their places, however, were easily filled, and as the days went on,
all took an increasing degree of interest, as they acquired facility
of movement, and saw how quickly, according to the European methods,
manoeuvres were gone through. At the end of a month, then, the sixty
men were able in turn to instruct others; and, a body of five hundred
men being called out, the work of drilling on a large scale began.

The drill ground now was a level space in the valley below the town,
and the whole population assembled, day after day, to look on with
astonishment at the exercises. The four great companies, or
battalions, as Charlie called them, were kept entirely separate, each
under the command of one of the Sepoys, under whom were a proportion
of the officers and sub-officers. Every evening, Charlie came down for
an hour, and put each body through its drill, distributing blame or
praise as it was deserved, thus keeping up a spirit of emulation
between the battalions. At the end of a fortnight, when the simpler
manoeuvres had been learned, Charlie, for two hours each day, worked
the whole together as one regiment; and was surprised, himself, to
find how rapid was the progress which each day effected.

The rajah himself often came down to the drill ground, and took the
highest interest in the work. He himself would fain have had regular
unifo