3. When two or more officers are present with a company, one will always be with the firing line.
4. Half-company commanders in the firing line will place themselves where they can best supervise the skirmishers. Their duties in action are as follows:—
(i) They must be constantly on the look out for the signals of the company commander, and of the scouts.
(ii) They must maintain the direction.
(iii) They will see that fire is not wasted, and that it is concentrated on important targets.
(iv) They will observe the enemy’s movements, and report at once to the company commander.
(v) If the assault succeeds, they will lose no time in rallying and reforming their half-companies.
(vi) During the advance they will take all leaderless men of other companies and corps under their command, and keep them until the action is over, or the force re-forms.
5. The frontage occupied by a company acting independently depends on the nature of the operation. There may be a considerable gap between the frontal and the flank attacks; and a portion of the company, extended at wide intervals, may be told off merely to hold the enemy, while the remainder, at closer intervals, make the decisive attack.
The rule that a strong firing-line should be established in a good fire-position at a decisive range must always be observed by the portion of the company which is told off for the decisive attack; and although the men need not be so close as in the case of larger forces, still, to dislodge an enemy of nearly equal strength, the firing-line, at decisive range, should not be weaker than one rifle to every two or three yards of front.