Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

164 CAMP AND PICKET DUTY.of the world had but militia, such as isStates in America.Greek Camp.O'.n,possessed by our ownThe Greek camp was constructed with great care.usually round or ellipticalIt wasin shape.It had streets which met in the centre,where also was placed the headquarters.Slaves, of whom, as wehave seen, a great number alwaysaccompanied thearmy, were set towork to dig a trench about the campso soon as itthrew the earth up intohad been located, anda rampartabout six feet high. This wall wasusually defended by entanglements,trous-de-loup, crow's feet, and a species of abatis.Picket duty was strictly performed, but the guards werenot placed at the distance of our pickets from camp. Postsof fifty hoplites each surrounded the camp, from which a lineof sentinels was sent out. These sentinels passed from handto hand a bell to show that they were on the alert.Officers,accompanied by torch-bearers, made prescribed rounds, alsoringing a bell. Sentinels appear to have challenged this officermuch in the same manner which obtains with us. A password,apt to be the name of a god, was exchanged betweenpatrols and sentinels.On the march the phalanx moved, with few exceptions,right in front. Martial music, mostly pipes, was usual.Each syntagma had its own trumpeter, but just what a Macedonianband may have been like we are left to conjecture.The cadenced step was practiced more than nowadays.theWithsarissa, a cadenced step was a sine qua non to keep theranks unbroken.In the face of the enemy the soldiers were wont to chant