Robert Robert - Scouting for Boys

Make tracks on soft ground of different incidents—such as a cyclist meeting a boy on foot, getting off his bicycle to talk to his friend, then setting out again. Let the boys study the tracks and deduce their meaning.

Place on a tray a collection of articles which might come from a man’s pockets. Ask the Scouts to deduce what kind of man he was, his interests, etc.

GAMES IN DEDUCT ION

Strangers

Get some people who are strangers to the boys to come along as passers-by in the street or road, and let the boys separately notice all about them. After an interval ask each boy for a full description of the passers-by as to appearance, peculiar recognizable points, and what he guesses their business to be.

Or let each boy have two minutes’ conversation with some stranger, and try to find out what he can about him in that time by questioning and observation.

“Crime” Deduction—Detective

Set a room or prepare a piece of ground with small signs, tracks, etc. Read aloud the story of a crime up to

the point when the signs are made and let each boy in turn examine the scene for a given time, and then privately give his solution of it.

The very simplest schemes should be given at first. They can gradually be elaborated.

For instance, have a number of footmarks and used matches by a tree, showing where a man had difficulty in lighting his pipe, etc.

For a more finished theme take a mystery like that in Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes called “The Resident Patient”. Set a room to represent the patient’s room where he was found hanging, with footprints of muddy boots on the carpet, cigar ends bitten or cut in the fireplace, cigar ashes, screw-driver and screws, etc. Put down a strip of newspapers for “stepping stones” on which competitors shall walk (so as not to confuse existing tracks). Let each Scout (or Patrol) come in separately and give him three minutes in which to investigate. Then give him half an hour to make up his solution, written or verbal.

“Track the Assassin”

The assassin escapes after having “stabbed his victim”, carrying in his hand the “dripping dagger”. The remainder, a minute later, start out to track him by the “drops of blood” (represented by confetti) which fall at every third step. His confederate (the umpire) tells him beforehand where to make for. If he gets there without being touched by his pursuers, over eight minutes ahead of them, he wins.

CHAPTER V

WOODCRAFT

CAMP FIRE YARN NO. 14

STALKING

How to Hide Yourself - How to Learn Stalking

Games in Stalking

WHEN YOU WANT TO OBSERVE wild animals, you have to stalk them, that is, to creep up to them without them seeing or smelling you.

A hunter keeps himself entirely hidden when he is stalking wild animals. So does the war scout when watching or looking for the enemy. A policeman does not catch pickpockets by standing about in uniform watching for them. He dresses like one of the crowd, and as often as not gazes into a shop window and sees all that goes on behind him reflected as if in a looking-glass.

If a guilty person finds himself watched, it puts him on his guard, while an innocent person becomes annoyed. So, when you are observing a person, don’t do so by openly staring at him, but notice the details you want to at one glance or two. If you want to study him more, walk behind him. You can learn just as much from a back view—in fact more than you can from a front view—and, unless the person is a Scout and looks round frequently, he does not know that you are observing him.

War scouts and hunters stalking game always carry out two important things when they don’t want to be seen.

One is—they take care that the ground, or trees, or buildings, behind them are of the same colour as their clothes.

And the other is—if an enemy or a deer is looking for them they remain perfectly still without moving while he is there.

In that way a Scout, even though he is out in the open, will often escape being noticed.

Choosing the Background

In choosing your background, consider the colour of your clothes. If you are dressed in khaki, don’t go and stand in front of a whitewashed wall, or in front of a dark-shaded bush, but go where there is khaki-coloured sand or grass or rocks behind you—and remain perfectly still. It will be very difficult for an enemy to distinguish you, even at a short distance.

If you are in dark clothes, get among dark bushes, or in the shadow of trees or rocks, but be careful that the ground beyond you is also dark—if there is light-coloured ground beyond the trees under which you are standing, for instance, you will stand out clearly defined against it.

In making use of hills as look-out places, be very careful not to show yourself on the top or sky-line. That

is the fault which a tenderfoot generally makes.

TOMMY THE TENDERFOOT No. 8 - TOMMY’S STALKING

“Keep up your end when you’re stalking your foes.” (It might read in two ways as Tommy now knows.)

Slow Motion

It is quite a lesson to watch a Zulu Scout making use of a hilltop or rising ground as a look-out place. He will crawl up on all fours, lying flat in the grass. On reaching the top he will very slowly raise his head, inch by inch, till he can see the view. If he sees the enemy on beyond, he will have a good look, and, if he thinks they are watching him, will keep his head perfectly steady for a long time, hoping that he will be mistaken for a stump or a stone. If he is not detected, he will very gradually lower his head, inch by inch, into the grass again, and crawl quietly away. Any quick or sudden movement of the head on the sky-line would be very liable to attract attention, even at a considerable distance.

At night, keep as much as possible in low ground, ditches, etc., so that you are down in the dark, while an enemy who comes near will be visible to you outlined on higher ground against the stars.

By squatting low in the shadow of the bush at night, and keeping quite still, I have let an enemy’s scout come and stand within three feet of me, so that when he turned his back towards me I was able to stand up where I was, and fling my arms round him.

Silent Walking

A point also to remember in keeping hidden while moving, especially at night, is to walk quietly. The thump of an ordinary man’s heel on the ground can be heard a good distance off. A Scout or hunter always walks lightly, on the ball of his feet, not on his heels. This you should practise whenever you are walking by day or by night, indoors as well as out, so that it becomes a habit with you to walk as lightly and silently as possible. You will find that as you grow into it your power of walking long distances will

grow—you will not tire so soon as you would if clumping along in the heavy-footed manner of most people.

Keep Down-Wind

Remember always that to stalk a wild animal, or a good Scout, you must keep downwind of him, even if the wind is so slight as to be merely a faint air.

Before starting to stalk your enemy, then, you should be sure which way the wind is blowing, and work up against it. To find this out, wet your thumb all round with your tongue, and then hold it up and see which side feels coldest. Or you can throw some light dust, or dry grass or leaves in the air, and see which way they drift.