Pioneers. In the Wilderness
Translation details
Model:mistral-large-2512.Translated text
Section titled “Translated text”A scout troop sets out for an area as remote and pathless as possible, resembling in its wildness the primeval state of newly discovered parts of the world (secluded forests, wildernesses, marshes, or the Tatras and Carpathians make such an ideal terrain). Each scout carries his own food, tent, and bedding (blankets) either on his back or on his head, depending on the terrain he passes through, such as dense undergrowth or river fords. The march proceeds in Indian file. At the head of the line is the guide, who precedes the entire troop by 180 metres. The guide’s task is to find a suitable route for travel and mark it with signs that prevent wandering. On a river, the pioneer troop must build an appropriate bridge; on a lake, a raft; and on marshes, a path made of round logs or bundles of brushwood (fascines). The guide’s signs suffice by day, but for any subsequent troop to avoid losing its way at night, the pioneers must add such traces by which one can orient oneself even in the dark.
Similarly, a chosen wilderness is an excellent terrain where scouts can be taught to measure distance by means of time. For this purpose, several scouts are sent out, each in a different direction, with orders roughly as follows: »Walk 2 kilometres to the northwest. Write there a precise report of where you are, adding a sketch (croquis) if possible. Return with the report as quickly as you can.« The received report is compared with a map to verify its accuracy.
A remote and pathless area develops in a scout the ability to orient himself, teaches him to seek out and remember all the characteristic features of the area, and so on. To achieve this goal more surely, scouts are sent out in pairs (for competition) in different directions. Each pair, starting from a different »starting point,« must reach the same destination by a different route, finding that route with the help of a map and without being seen by the other. Such an exercise also trains them in concealment and tracking, etc.
In the wilderness, it is desirable for everyone to instinctively guess and assess the length of time. To teach scouts this, they are sent out in different directions, each with a piece of paper on which he must note after how many minutes he should return. The judge records precisely the time of each scout’s departure and arrival, having first bound them by their scout’s word of honour that none of them will glance at a watch.
Scan source: Polona / National Library, marked “Public Domain.” View scan — image 57.
Metadata
Section titled “Metadata”- Type: game
- Traits: Not stated in the source
- Source: Herman A. Mojmir, Ćwiczenia i zabawy skautowe (1912)
- Printed pages: 45–46
- Digital edition: Digital edition · Source record
- Open the edition at the relevant page: p. 45
- Read the source text: ciz-059