6. Special purposes.—For special purposes, the scouts of several companies may be combined in one body under a selected officer or officers.
To keep down the fire of the enemy’s scouts and snipers, to ambush them, and to drive them off.
To rapidly seize points of importance.
To cover retirement from difficult positions.
To act on ground that is too difficult for ordinary infantry.
88. Training of Scouts.
1. The training of scouts will, as a rule, be carried out by a selected officer in each company.
2. Scouts should be able to find their way across country both by day and night. They should be able to read a map, and to work by sun and compass, by observation of landmarks, and by the direction of watersheds and streams.
3. They should be constantly practised in transmitting information by semaphore, by written message, and by word of mouth.
4. They should be trained to cover long distances at the double, and also to climb steep hills.