"Smugglers Over the Border."
The "Border" is a certain line of country about four hundred yards long, preferably a road or wide path or bit of sand, on which foot-tracks can easily be seen. One patrol watches the border with sentries posted along this road, with a reserve posted further inland. This should be about half-way between the "border" and the "town," the "town" would be a base marked by trees, buildings, or flags, etc., about half a mile distant from the border. A hostile patrol of smugglers assembles about half a mile on the other side of the border. They will all cross the border, in any formation they please, either singly or together or scattered, and make for the town, either walking or running, or at scout's pace. Only one among them is supposed to be smuggling, and he wears tracking irons, so that the sentries walk up and down their beat (they may not run till after the 'alarm'), waiting for the tracks of the smuggler. Directly a sentry sees the track, he gives the alarm signal to the reserve and starts himself to follow up the track as fast as he can. The reserve thereupon co-operate with them and try to catch the smuggler before he can reach the town. Once within the boundary of the town he is safe and wins the game.
BOOKS TO READ ON SPOORING.
"Lectures on Tracking": Cavalry Journal Office, Whitehall, S.W.
"Scouting and reconnaissance in Savage Countries": Captain. Stigand.
"Tracks of Wild Animals."
CAMP FIRE YARN.—No. 7.
READING "SIGN" OR DEDUCTION.
Putting this and that together—Sherlock-Holmesism—Instances of Deduction—Hints to Instructors—Practice in Deduction—Books on Deduction.
When a scout has learned to notice "sign," he must then learn to "put this and that together," and so read a meaning from what he has seen. This is called "deduction." Here is an example of what I mean which was lately given in the "Forest and Stream," which shows how the young scout can read the meaning from "sign" when he has been trained to it.
A cavalry soldier had got lost and some of his comrades were hunting all over the country to find him, when they came across a native boy, and asked him if he had seen the lost man. He immediately said: "Do you mean a very tall soldier, riding a roan horse that was slightly lame?"