Night Work

Scouts must be able to find their way equally well by night or by day. But unless they practise it frequently, they 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, by accidentally treading on dry sticks or kicking stones.

If you are watching for an enemy at night, you have to trust much more to your ears than to your eyes. Your nose will also help you, for a Scout is well-practised at smelling out things. A man 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.

When patrolling at night, Scouts keep closer together than by day, and in very dark places, such as woods, they keep in touch with each other in single file by each catching hold of the end of the next Scout's staff.

When working singly in the dark, the Scout staff is most useful for feeling the way and pushing aside branches.

Scouts working apart from each other at night keep up communication by occasionally giving the call of their Patrol animal.

All Scouts should know how to guide themselves by the stars.

Author

Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell (Chief Scout, London, UK)

Date of Creation

1908

Learn A Continuation:

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