The formation he now taught his men.

From morning to night they were practised at rallying from pursuit or flight, or changing from a line into the form of a wedge.

Each man had his appointed place both in the line and wedge.

Those who formed the outside line of this formation were armed with large shields which covered them from chin to foot, and with short spears; those in the inner lines carried no shields, but bore spears of increasing length, so that four lines of spears projected from the wedge to nearly the same distance.

Inside the four lines were twenty men armed with shields, bows, and arrows.