Page:Scouting for girls, adapted from Girl guiding.djvu/112

98 Signalling by Sound

Whistle:—Use a short blast for a dot, and a long steady blast for a dash. Indicate the end of a letter by a short pause, end of word by a longer pause, and the end of a sentence by a still longer pause.

On the telegraph instrument the dot makes one distinct click. The dash a double click. Try and you will see. Practice tapping with a pencil, a stick or even your fingers, to make the ear familiar with the sound; single tap for a dot, double for a dash.

The code must be absolutely mastered so that you know a letter the minute you see it. Counting off dots and dashes, is a sign of a beginner who doesn't yet know her code. It is a bad plan to try to learn code by writing it out. You never use it written, and you should learn it as you are going to use it with flags, lights or sounds.

From the very first, practice reading as well as sending. It is harder to do, and requires more practice.

If another Scout facing you will signal the same letter at the same time you are signalling to her, then you read and send that letter simultaneously and thus recognize the letter when receiving a message.

You will find it a curious fact that it is easier to learn the letters by signalling them in words and messages, than by trying to master them singly, in their order in the alphabet.

A good way to learn the general service code is this. Learn first the four letters made all of dots, and then the three made all of dashes.