Patrols when going across open country where they are likely to be seen by enemies or animals should get over it as quickly as possible, i.e., by moving at the scout's pace, walking and running alternately from one point of cover to another. As soon as they are hidden in cover they can rest and look round before making the next move. If as leading scout you get out of sight of your patrol, you should, in passing thick bushes, reeds, etc., break branches or stems of reed and grass every few yards, making the heads point forward to show your path, for in this way you can always find your way back again, or the patrol or anyone coming after you can easily follow you up and they can judge from the freshness of the grass pretty well how long ago it was you passed that way. It is also useful to "blaze" trees—that means take a chip out of the bark with your axe or knife, or chalk marks upon walls, or make marks in the sand, or lay stones, or show which way you have gone by the signs which I have given you.
Patrol in the Open, or on a Road or Street.
NIGHT WORK.
Scouts must be able to find their way equally well by night as by day. In fact, military scouts in the Army work mostly by night in order to keep hidden, and lie up during the day.
But unless they practise it frequently, fellows are very apt to lose themselves by night, distances seem greater, and landmarks are hard to see. Also, you are apt to make more noise than by day, in walking along, by accidently treading on dry sticks, kicking stones, etc.
If you are watching for an enemy at night you have to trust much more to your ears than to your eyes, and also to your nose, for a scout who is well-practised at smelling out things and who has not damaged his sense of smell by smoking, can often smell an enemy a good distance away. I have done it many times myself and found it of the greatest value.
When patrolling at night, scouts keep closer together than by day, and in very dark places, such as woods, etc., they should keep touch with each other by each catching hold of the end of the next scout's staff.
When working singly the scout's staff is most useful for feeling the way in the dark, and pushing aside dry branches, etc.
Scouts working apart from each other in the dark keep up communication by occasionally giving the call of their patrol-animal. Any enemy would thus not be made suspicious.