Page:Handbook for Boys.djvu/327

306 Flag Raiding Two or more patrols on each side.

Each side will form s.n outpost within a given tract of country to protect three flags (or at night three lanterns two feet above ground), planted not less than two hundred yards (one hundred yards at night) from it. The protecting outpost will be posted in concealment either all together or spread out in pairs. It will then send out scouts to discover the enemy's position. When these have found out where the outpost is, they try to creep round out of sight till they can get to the flags and bring them away to their own line. One scout may not take away more than one flag.

This is the general position of a patrol on such an outpost:

Any scout coming within fifty yards of a singroger party will be put out of action if seen by the enemy; ff he can creep by without being seen it is all right.

Scouts posted to watch as outposts cannot move from their ground, but their strength counts as double, and they may send single messages to their neighbors or to their own scouting party.

An umpire should be with each outpost and with each scouting patrol.

At a given hour operations will cease, and all will assemble at the given spot to hand in their reports. The following points might be awarded:

The side which makes the biggest total wins.

The same game may be played to test the scouts in stepping lightly—the umpire being bindfolded. The practice should preferably be carried out where there are dry twigs lyiag about, and gravel, etc. The scout may start to stalk the blind enemy at one hundred yards' distance, and he mast do it fairly fast — say, in one minute and a half — to touch the blind man before he hears him.