Chapter 13

CAMP FIRE YARN.—No. 16.INFORMATION BY SIGNAL.

Hidden Despatches—Signalling—Whistle and Flag-Signals.

Scouts have to be very clever at passing news secretly from one place to another, or signalling to each other; and if it should ever happen that an enemy got into England, the Boy Scouts would be of greatest value if they have practised this art.

Before the siege of Mafeking commenced, I received a secret message from some unknown friend in the Transvaal, who sent me news of the Boers' plans against the place, and the numbers that they were getting together of men, horses, and guns. This news came to me by means of a very small letter which was rolled up in a little ball, the size of a pill, and put inside a tiny hole in a rough walking stick, and plugged in there with wax. The stick was given to a native, who merely had orders to come into Mafeking and give me the stick as a present. Naturally, when he brought me this stick, and said it was from another white man, I guessed there must be something inside it, and soon found this very important letter.

Also I received another letter from a friend, which was written in Hindustani language, but in English writing, so that anybody reading would be quite puzzled as to what language it was written in; but to me it was all as clear as daylight.

Then when we sent letters out from Mafeking, we used to give them to natives, who were able to creep out between the Boer outposts, and once through the line of sentries, the Boers mistook them for their own natives, and took no further notice of them. They carried their letters in this way. The letters were allwritten on thin paper in small envelopes, and half a dozen letters or more would be crumpled up tightly into a little ball, and then rolled up into a piece of lead paper, such as tea is packed in. The native scout would carry a number of these little balls in his hand, and hanging round his neck loosely by strings. Then, if he saw he was in danger of being captured by a Boer, he would drop all his balls on the ground, where they looked exactly like so many stones, and he would notice landmarks from two or three points round about him, by which he would be able again to find the exact spot where the letters were lying; then he would walk boldly on until accosted by the Boer, who, if he searched him, would have found nothing suspicious about him. He would then wait about for perhaps a day or two until the coast was clear, and come back to the spot where the landmarks told him the letters were lying.

"Landmarks," you may remember, mean any objects, like trees, mounds, rocks, or other details which do not move away, and act as signposts for a scout who notices and remembers them.

Captain John Smith was one of the first to make use of signals to express regular words, three hundred years ago.

He was then fighting on the side of the Austrians against the Turks. He thought it wicked for Christian men to fight against Christians if it could possibly be avoided, but he would help any Christian, although a foreigner, to fight against a heathen; so he joined the Austrians against the Turks.

He invented a system of showing lights at night with torches, which when held in certain positions with each other meant certain words.

Several officers in the Austrian forces practised these signals till they knew them.

On one occasion one of these officers was besieged bythe Turks. John Smith brought a force to help him, and arrived on a hill near the town in the night. Here he made a number of torch signals, which were read by the officer inside, and they told him what to do when Smith attacked the enemy in the rear; and this enabled the garrison to break out successfully.

In the American Civil War, Captain Clowry, a scout officer, wanted to give warning to a large force of his own army that the enemy were going to attack it unexpectedly during the night, but he could not get to his friends, because there was a flooded river between them which he could not cross, and a storm of rain was going on.

What would you have done if you had been him?

A good idea struck him. He got hold of an old railway engine that was standing near him. He lit the fire, and got up steam in her, and then started to blow the whistle with short and long blasts—what is called the Morse alphabet. Soon his friends heard and understood, and answered back with a bugle. And he then spelt out a message of warning to them, which they read and acted upon. And so their force of 20,000 men was saved from surprise.

Lieutenant Boyd-Alexander describes in his book "From the Niger to the Nile," how a certain tribe of natives in Central Africa signal news to each other by means of beats on a drum. And I have known tribes in the forests of the West Coast of Africa who do the same.

Morse and Semaphore Codes.Morse and Semaphore Codes.

Morse and Semaphore Codes.

Morse and Semaphore Codes.Morse and Semaphore Codes.

Morse and Semaphore Codes.

Every scout ought to learn the "dot and dash" or Morse method of signalling, because it comes in most useful whenever you want to send messages some distance by flag signalling, as in the Army and Navy, and it is also useful in getting you employment as a telegraphist. It is not difficult to learn if you set about it with a will. I found it most useful once during the Boer War. My column had been trying to get past a Boer force who was holding a pass in the mountains. Finding they were too strong for us, we gave it up late in the evening, and leaving a lot of fires alight as if we were in camp infront of them, we moved during the night by a rapid march right round the end of the mountain range, and by daylight next day we were exactly in rear of them without their knowing it. We then found a telegraph line evidently leading from them to their headquarters some fifty miles further off, so we sat down by the telegraph wire and attached our own little wire to it and read all the messages they were sending, and they gave us most valuable information. But we should nothave been able to do that had it not been that some of our scouts could read the Morse code.

Then the semaphore signalling, which is done by waving your arms at different angles to each other, is most useful and quite easy to learn, and is known by every soldier and sailor in the service. Here you have all the different letters, and the different angles at which you have to put your arms to represent those letters, and though it looks complicated in the picture, when you come to work it out, you will find it is very simple.

For all letters from A to G the right arm only is used, making a quarter of a circle for each letter in succession. Then from H to N (except J), the right arm stands at A, while the left moves round the circle again for the other letters. From O to S the right arm stands at B, and the left arm moves round as before. For T, V, Y, and the "annul" the right arm stands at C, the left moving to the next point of the circle successively.

The letters A to K also mean figures 1 to 9, if you first make the signYto show that you are going to send numbers.

If you want to write a despatch that will puzzle most people to read, use the Morse or Semaphore letters in place of the ordinary alphabet. It will be quite readable to any of your friends who understand signalling.

Also if you want to use a secret language in your patrol you should all set to work to learn "Esperanto." It is not difficult, and is taught in a little book costing one penny. This language is being used in all countries so that you would be able to get on with it abroad now.

Each patrol leader should provide himself with a whistle and a lanyard or cord for keeping it. The following commands and signals should be at your finger ends, so that you can teach them to your patrol, and know how to order it properly.

Words of Command.

"Fall in" (in line)."Alert" (stand up smartly)."Easy" (stand at ease)."Stand easy" (sit or lie down without leaving the ranks)."Dismiss" (break off)."Right" (or left); (each scout turns accordingly)."Patrol right" (or left); (each patrol with its scouts in line wheels to that hand)."Quick march" (walk smartly, stepping off on the left foot)."Double" (run at smart pace, arms hanging loose)."Scouts' Pace" (walk fifty yards and run fifty yards alternately).

"Fall in" (in line).

"Alert" (stand up smartly).

"Easy" (stand at ease).

"Stand easy" (sit or lie down without leaving the ranks).

"Dismiss" (break off).

"Right" (or left); (each scout turns accordingly).

"Patrol right" (or left); (each patrol with its scouts in line wheels to that hand).

"Quick march" (walk smartly, stepping off on the left foot).

"Double" (run at smart pace, arms hanging loose).

"Scouts' Pace" (walk fifty yards and run fifty yards alternately).

When a scoutmaster wants to call his troop together he makes his bugler sound the "The Scout's Call."

Patrol leaders thereupon call together their patrols by sounding their whistles, followed by their patrol (animal) war cry. Then they double their patrol to the scoutmaster.

Whistle Signals are these: One long blast means: "Silence;" "Alert;" "Look out for my next signal."

1. A succession of long slow blasts means: "Go out;" "Get further away;" or "Advance;" "Extend;" "Scatter."

2. A succession of short, sharp blasts means: "Rally;" "Close in;" "Come together;" "Fall in."

3. A succession of short and long blasts alternately means: "Alarm;" "Look out;" "Be ready;" "Man your alarm posts."

4. Three short blasts followed by one long one, from scoutmaster calls up the patrol leaders—i.e."Leaders come here!"

Any whistle signal must be instantly obeyed at the double as fast as ever you can run—no matter what other job you may be doing at the time.

Hand Signals, which can also be made by patrol leaders with their patrol flags when necessary.

Hand waved several times across the face from sideto side, or flag waved horizontally from side to side opposite the face means: "No; Never mind; As you were."

Hand or flag held high, and waved very slowly from side to side at full extent of arm, or whistle a succession of slow blasts means: "Extend; Go further out; Scatter."

Hand or flag held high and waved quickly from side to side at full extent of arm, or whistle a succession of short, quick blasts means: "Close in; Rally; Come here."

Hand or flag pointing in any direction means: "Go in that direction."

Hand or flag jumped rapidly up and down several times, means: "Run."

Hand or flag held straight up over head, means: "Stop;" "Halt."

When a leader is shouting an order or message to a scout who is some way off, the scout, if he hears what is being said, should hold up his hand level with his head all the time. If he cannot hear he should stand still making no sign. The leader will then repeat louder or beckon to the scout to come in nearer.

The following signals are made by a scout with his staff when he is sent out to reconnoitre within sight of his patrol, and they have the following meanings: Staff held up horizontally, that is flat with both hands above the head, means "a few enemy in sight."

The same, but with staff moved up and down slowly, means "a number of enemy in sight, a long way off."

The same, staff moved up and down rapidly means "a number of enemy in sight, and close by."

The staff held straight up over the head means "no enemy in sight."

Practice laying, lighting, and use of signal fires of smoke or flame.

Practice whistle and drill signals.

Teach Semaphore and Morse Codes; also Esperanto if feasible.

Encourage competitive ingenuity in concealing despatches on the person.

HINTS TO INSTRUCTORS.

In all games and competitions, it should be arranged as far as possible that all the scouts should take part, because we do not want to have merely one or two brilliant performers, and the others no use at all. All ought to get practice, and all ought to be pretty good. In competitions where there are enough entries to make heats, ties should be run off by losers instead of the usual system of by winners, and the game should be to find out which are the worst instead of which are the best. Good men will strive just as hard not to be worst, as they would to gain a prize, and this form of competition gives the bad man most practice.

Making a complete model bridge. Up to four marks.

Lay and light the following fires separately, using only six matches for the whole: First, cooking fire, and cook a bannock. Second, flame signal fire and make signals. Third, smoke signal fire and make signals. Marks up to three.

To measure without instruments, within ten per cent. of correctness, three different widths of river, or impassable ground, without crossing it. Heights of three different trees or buildings. Number of sheep in a flock, stones on a table, etc. Weights of four different things from one ounce up to one hundred pounds. Four distances between one inch and one mile. Marks up to five for the whole lot.

A scout is given a dispatch to take to the headquarters of a besieged town, which may be a real town (village, farm, or house), and he must return with a receipt for it. He must wear a coloured rag 2ft. longpinned on to his shoulder. He must start at least four miles away from the town he is going to. Besiegers who have to spot him can place themselves where they like, but must not go nearer to the headquarters' building than three hundred yards. (Best to give certain boundaries that they know or can recognise.) Anyone found within that limit by the umpire will be ruled out as shot by the defenders at headquarters. The dispatch runner can use any ruse he likes, except dressing up as a woman, but he must always wear the red rag on his shoulder. To catch him, the enemy must get the red rag from him. Ten hours may be allowed as the limit of time, by which the dispatch runner should get his message to headquarters and get back again to the starting-point with the receipt. This game may also be made a life-and-death venture, in which case any scout who volunteers to risk his life (i.e.his scout's badge) in getting through with a dispatch, gains the badge "For Merit" if he wins; but if he fails, he loses his scout's badge (fleurs-de-lis), and cannot get it again, although he may still remain a member of the corps. The enemy win three marks each if they spot him, and lose three marks if he succeeds. To win a badge of merit there must be not less than two patrols out against him. A similar game can be played in a city, but requires modifications to suit the local conditions.

For Exploration Practice, see Appendix, Part VI., for imitating exploring expedition in Africa, Arctic regions, etc.

Act a scene of castaways on a desert island. They make camp fire: pick seaweed, grass, roots, etc., and cook them: Make pots, etc., out of clay: Weave mats out of grass: Build raft, and if water is available get afloat in it: put up a mast and grass mat sail, etc.: and punt or sail away, or can be rescued by sighting ship and making smoke signals or getting a boat's crew of sailors to come and fetch them.

SCOUTING FOR BOYS.CONTENTS OF PARTS IV., V., and VI.PART IV.Endurance and Health.Chivalry and Brave Deeds.Discipline.PART V.Saving Life and First-Aid.Patriotism and Loyalty.PART VI.Scouting Games, Competitions, and Plays.Words to Instructors.

SCOUTING FOR BOYS.

CONTENTS OF PARTS IV., V., and VI.

PART IV.

Endurance and Health.

Chivalry and Brave Deeds.

Discipline.

PART V.

Saving Life and First-Aid.

Patriotism and Loyalty.

PART VI.

Scouting Games, Competitions, and Plays.

Words to Instructors.

WHAT PARTS I. and II. CONTAIN.Part I.—SCOUTCRAFT.Special Foreword for Instructors.—The BoyScouts scheme and its easy applicationto all existingorganisations.Scoutcraft.—Its wide uses and wide interest.Summary of Scout's Course of Instruction,showing the scope of Scout's work.Organisation.—Dress, secret signs, scouts' songs,and tests for badges of honour.Scouts' Law and Scouts' Honourunder theguiding motto "Be Prepared."Scouting Games and Practicesfor indoors andout of doors, in town and in country.Part II.—TRACKING and WOODCRAFT.Observationand its value; how to use your eyes,nose, and ears, and how to follow a night trail.Spooring.—Tracks of men and animals and gamesin tracking.Reading "Sign"and making deductions from it.Woodcraft.—How to stalk and how to hide properly.Animals.—How to stalk and know them—a bettergame than stamp collecting.Birds, Fishes, and Insectsall scouts should know.Plants and Trees.Games and Competitionsin Tracking, Stalking, andWoodcraft.

WHAT PARTS I. and II. CONTAIN.

Part I.—SCOUTCRAFT.

Special Foreword for Instructors.—The BoyScouts scheme and its easy applicationto all existingorganisations.

Special Foreword for Instructors.—The Boy

Scouts scheme and its easy applicationto all existing

organisations.

Scoutcraft.—Its wide uses and wide interest.

Summary of Scout's Course of Instruction,showing the scope of Scout's work.

Summary of Scout's Course of Instruction,

showing the scope of Scout's work.

Organisation.—Dress, secret signs, scouts' songs,and tests for badges of honour.

Organisation.—Dress, secret signs, scouts' songs,

and tests for badges of honour.

Scouts' Law and Scouts' Honourunder theguiding motto "Be Prepared."

Scouts' Law and Scouts' Honourunder the

guiding motto "Be Prepared."

Scouting Games and Practicesfor indoors andout of doors, in town and in country.

Scouting Games and Practicesfor indoors and

out of doors, in town and in country.

Part II.—TRACKING and WOODCRAFT.

Observationand its value; how to use your eyes,nose, and ears, and how to follow a night trail.

Observationand its value; how to use your eyes,

nose, and ears, and how to follow a night trail.

Spooring.—Tracks of men and animals and gamesin tracking.

Spooring.—Tracks of men and animals and games

in tracking.

Reading "Sign"and making deductions from it.

Woodcraft.—How to stalk and how to hide properly.

Animals.—How to stalk and know them—a bettergame than stamp collecting.

Animals.—How to stalk and know them—a better

game than stamp collecting.

Birds, Fishes, and Insectsall scouts should know.

Plants and Trees.

Games and Competitionsin Tracking, Stalking, andWoodcraft.

Games and Competitionsin Tracking, Stalking, and

Woodcraft.

Part IV.Fortnightly.Price 4d. net.ScoutingFor Boys(LIEUT. GEN. BADEN POWELL C.B.)

Part IV.Fortnightly.Price 4d. net.

ScoutingFor Boys

Scouting

For Boys

(LIEUT. GEN. BADEN POWELL C.B.)

The Boy Scout in Action.The Boy Scout in Action.

The Boy Scout in Action.

Published by Horace Cox, Windsor House, Bream's Buildings, London, e.c.

Scouting for Boys.A HANDBOOK FOR INSTRUCTIONINGOOD CITIZENSHIP,byLieut.-General R. S. S. BADEN-POWELL,C.B., F.R.G.S.All communications should be addressed to—Lieut.-General BADEN-POWELL,Boy Scouts' Office,Goschen Buildings,Henrietta Street,LONDON, W.C.by whom Scouts will be enrolled, and from whereall further information can be obtained.Copyrighted by Lieut.-GeneralR. S. S. Baden-Powell, C.B., F.R.G.S.1908.

Scouting for Boys.

A HANDBOOK FOR INSTRUCTION

GOOD CITIZENSHIP,

Lieut.-General R. S. S. BADEN-POWELL,C.B., F.R.G.S.

All communications should be addressed to—

Lieut.-General BADEN-POWELL,

Boy Scouts' Office,

Goschen Buildings,

Henrietta Street,

LONDON, W.C.

by whom Scouts will be enrolled, and from where

all further information can be obtained.

Copyrighted by Lieut.-GeneralR. S. S. Baden-Powell, C.B., F.R.G.S.

1908.

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