showed that he was the murderer.
There is a similar story in Sherlock Holmes’ Memoirs called “The Resident Patient”. Here a man was found hanging and was considered to be a suicide till Sherlock Holmes came in and showed by various signs—such as cigar ends bitten by different teeth, footprints—that three men had been in the room with the man for some time previous to his death and had hanged him.
Details in the Country
If you are in the country you should notice landmarks, that is, objects which help you to find your way or prevent you getting lost, such as distant hills, church towers, and nearer objects such as peculiar buildings, trees, gates, rocks, etc.
And remember, in noticing such landmarks, that you may want to use your knowledge of them some day for telling someone else how to find his way, so you must notice them pretty closely to be able to describe them unmistakably and in their proper order. You must notice and remember every by-road and foot-path.
Then you must also notice smaller signs, such as birds getting up and flying hurriedly, which means somebody or some animal is there. Rising dust shows animals, men, or vehicles moving.
Of course, when in the country, you should notice just as much as in town, all passers-by very carefully—how they are dressed, what their faces are like, their way of walking—and examine their footmarks and
jot down sketches of them in your notebook, so that you would know the footmarks again if you found them somewhere else, as the shepherd boy did in the story at the beginning of this book.
A great deal of dust does not always mean many people. Here is a ruse that was used to draw the attention of the enemy: Branches of trees were towed along a dusty road, to i mitate moving cavalry.
Also notice tracks of animals, birds, wheels, etc., for from these you can read valuable information.
Track reading is of such importance that I shall give you a yarn on that subject by itself.
Using Your Eyes
Let nothing be too small for your notice. A button, a match, the ash from a cigar, a feather, or a leaf, might be of great importance.
A Scout must not only look to his front, but also to either side and behind him; he must have “eyes at the back of his head”, as the saying is.
Often, by suddenly looking back, you will see an enemy’s scout or a thief showing himself in a way that he would not have done had he thought you would look round.
There is an interesting story by Fenimore Cooper called The Pathfinder, in which the action of a Red Indian scout is well described. He had “eyes at the back of his head”, and, after passing some bushes, caught sight of a withered leaf or two among the fres h ones. This made him suspect that somebody had put the leaves there to make a better hiding-place, and so he discovered some hidden fugitives.
Night Scouting
A Scout has to be able to notice small details by night as well as by day.
At night he has to do it chiefly by listening, occasionally by feeling or smelling.
In the stillness of the night, sounds carry farther than by day. If you put your ear to the ground or place it against a stick, or especially against a drum, which is touching the ground, you will hear the shake of horses’ hoofs or the thud of a man’s footfall a long way off.
Another way is to open a knife with a blade at each end; stick one blade into the ground, hold the other carefully between your teeth and you will hear all the better.
The human voice, even though talking low, carries to a great distance, and is not likely to be mistaken for any other sound.
I have often passed through outposts at night after having found where the pickets were posted by hearing the low talking of the men or the snoring of those asleep.
PATROL PRACTICES IN OBSERVATION
IN TOWN: Teach your boys first, in walking down a street, to notice the different kinds of shops they pass and to remember them in their proper order. Then to notice and remember the names on the shops. Then to notice and remember the contents of a shop window after two minutes’ gaze. Finally to notice the contents of several shop windows in succession with half a minute at each.
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Make the boys notice prominent buildings as landmarks, the number of turnings off the street they are using, names of other streets, details of cars passing by, and especially, details of people as to dress, features and way of walking. Take them out the first time to show them how to do it. After that send them out and question them on their return.
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Make the Scouts learn for themselves to notice and remember the whereabouts of all fire alarms, police points, hospitals, etc.
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IN THE COUNTRY: Take the Patrol out for a walk and teach the boys to notice distant prominent features as landmarks, such as hills, church steeples, and the like, and as nearer landmarks such things as peculiar buildings, trees, rocks, gates, etc. Also have them notice by-roads or paths, different kinds of trees, birds, animals, tracks, and also people and vehicles.
