THE SUBTLE FOE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 900, 20 August 1910, Page 10

THE SUBTLE FOE.

ATTACK AND DEFENCE. TERRITORIALS ON THE HILLS. By soma moans or other —particulars not stated—the subtle foe, to the number of 4UIJ men, backed up with tho persuasive force of two .field guns, effected a landing at Lyall Bay last night, and tho Wellington Hifle Battalion suddenly found itself with some storn business in hand. It was believed that tho invaders wero merely' an advance line, sent ahead of tho main body to collect information concerning tho configuration of their immediate vicinity with tho ultimate object of attacking the town and carrying fire and sword, as it were, into the happy homes of the peaceful citizens of the capital city. Upon this alarming belief was based a scheme of operations which kept tho battalion busily employed from about half-past seven till fairly late at night. In co-operation-with other troops of tho garrison—this was merely an assumption, of course, because tho subtle foo only existed in the imagination of tho lieutenaut-colonel commanding—tho battalion was ordered to guard a section of the outpost line, from Constable Street to Mount Victoria. No smoking was to be indulged in, no fire's wero allowed, and to add to tho discomfort of the imaginary situation tho - outpost' lino was informed that if the enemy attacked, the ridge- had to be held, as there was no retreat from the position. E Company, the Post and Telegraph Rifles, were detached from special duty—they were the subtlo foe—and officers commanding companies wero given sketch maps whereon wore to bo marked tho sum and substance of thoir experiences, the idea being that upon cacli devolved the special duty ol reporting the disposition of tho opposing forco, positions of pickets and outposts, and so on. , Ono half only—the light' half battalion—was sent out, the remainder being hold in.reserve at tho Garrison Hall. These spent a strenuous timo under Staff-Sergeant-Major Rose, who marched them up and down, deployed, wheeled, and counter-marched them to such excellent . .purpose that their various, shortcomings in the matter of squad drill inevitably showed up. Taken on the whole:, tho 'squad woik of the past three or four months appwired to havo been thoroughly done, and with somo further drilling in the new double-rank company formation tho battalion should in the ond move (vith tho clock-work precision of a crack war-machine. Out on the hills, very good work was'done by the right half battalion, under Captain Esson, the commanding officer, (Lieutenant-. Colonel W. G. Duthie) dividing his attention between tho outposts and tho reserves. At the next battalion parade—these will be held frequently now—tho left half will hold' the forlorn hope, while tho right half will bo given its gruelling in the parade ground under tho eagle eyo of tho staff-sergeant-majoi. .