Flares, etc.
When piquets are protected by obstacles an arrangement of flares for lighting the ground in their immediate front is often useful. Empty barrels, with both ends knocked out, are stuffed with straw, rags, or even paper, which has been saturated with paraffin or covered with tar; they should be placed about 50 yards in front of, and a little to the side of, the piquet, and if a bold man is available to wait till the enemy is close up before lighting them, they will prove of great assistance.
I have seen short sticks, with rags dipped in paraffin, tied round one end, used with effect; when set on fire they can be thrown 25 or 30 yards, and are hard to extinguish, but there is always a risk of the enemy throwing them back again.
Hand Grenades.
These ancient weapons, having been improved, are likely to be largely used in future, and would be specially suitable to issue to scouts. A well-trained scout would have no difficulty in getting close up to hostile piquets, and the sudden explosion of a hand grenade could not fail to have considerable moral effect even if it did little material damage. Against columns advancing to make a night attack they would also be very useful weapons.
The confusion which is caused among troops at night manœuvres by the explosion in their ranks of a few ordinary crackers is strong evidence of the advantage to be gained from the use of hand grenades at a critical moment.
Luminous Discs.
Luminous discs are required to mark the directing flank of companies; they should be made of thin board, coated on both sides with luminous paint, and mounted on a pole about 5 feet long. In shape they may be either round or square, but it is useful to have one of a special pattern to mark the directing guide. They may be from 12 inches to 15 inches in diameter.