Lingerer

one who pretends to be indisposed, in order to avoid his tour of duty—a skulker. Hence the term malingerer, or a soldier who avoids duty in a disreputable manner. To LINK together , to tie together. Cavalry horses are frequently linked together when it is found nece ary for the men to dismount. When the word of command link your horses is given, the right hand files are to move up into the intervals, slip their bridoons and dre by the right, standing in front of their own horses’ heads; the left files slipping the bridoons in their hands at the same time, and stepping to the front of their horses’ heads. As soon as up and dre ed, the whole advance their left feet by a motion from the right, and by another motion from the right, the whole go to the left about together, and link; as soon as done linking, the left hand man of each rank falls back, two paces from his horse, and the whole dre well to him, with the carabine in the trailing position. But before they do this they must put their belts and plates in order. It ought to be recollected, that when the right hand files come up, they must take care not to bring their horses past the others; and in order to dre with the left files they must slip the bridoon to the left hand, leaving the horse in his place in the rank. When dragoons are ordered to dismount, and are to mount again immediately, without moving from their horses, the word of command unlink your horses is made use of; in which case the dragoon drops his carabine, which is then in a trailing position, on his left arm, and unlinks: as soon as that is done, he takes his carabine in his left hand, the horse in the right, by the right bridoon rein, waiting for the word prepare to mount .