By Signs
Translation details
Model:mistral-medium-2604.Translated text
Section titled “Translated text”At greater distances, Scouts communicate using flag signaling (or a lantern at night), while at shorter distances, they use hand, cap, or stick signals. There is a series of such signals expressing the most important actions during stalking, e.g., “forward — run — backward — assembly — take cover” and so on. However, these are not sufficient, as there are often orders that are difficult to convey with these few conventional signals, and which cannot be given by signaling or voice. A Scout should learn, as it were, to read the thoughts of his patrol leader as conveyed through signs that illustrate those thoughts as clearly as possible. This is a field for creativity on the part of the one giving the signals, and for intuition on the part of the one receiving them. This skill—both in deftly giving signals and in accurately interpreting them—must be acquired through appropriate practice.
The patrol leader lies on the ground, with the Scouts positioned at a distance where they cannot hear him. The patrol leader gives an order in signs, e.g., “Climb the tree on the left side.” The first Scout tries to understand the given signals. If he does not understand, he signals this with a pendulum-like motion of his hand. The patrol leader repeats the order, possibly altering the signals slightly, until the message is understood. Then, in turn, an order is given to the second Scout, e.g., “Crawl to the ditch on the right,” or “Circle the house,” or “Go to the hill on the right, see if there is an enemy there, and signal back” and so on. After a short time, the Scouts will learn to read their patrol leader’s thoughts. If these can often be read from the eyes or facial expression, they can be even more easily grasped from appropriate gestures.
As a last resort, one can also use the Morse alphabet, signaled by hand from a prone position. The “call” of the sender and the “response” of the receiver is raising the hand vertically upward. A “dot” is indicated by raising the hand upward, a “dash” by extending it horizontally. After each signal, the hand is lowered to the chest. (If lying facing toward or away from the receiver, the arm is raised horizontally to the side; if lying sideways, horizontally forward—otherwise the movement will not be noticed).
A pause is naturally made after each letter. The end of each word is indicated by a circle traced in the air with the fist; the receiver gives the same sign to indicate “understood.” Three circles in succession signify the end of the order. An “error” is signaled by a pendulum-like motion of the open palm.
Now, let us apply the reading of the patrol leader’s thoughts in the following exercise:
Several Scouts stand on a hill, making no attempt to conceal themselves. They are visible from afar. The surrounding terrain is obscure, hilly, full of thickets, gardens, fences, ditches, etc., facilitating stalking. The rest of the Scouts, from a distance of 1,000 paces, approach the enemy, guided solely by the patrol leader’s signals. The goal is to approach from the front, side, or rear to within 200 paces. The patrol leader himself creeps forward, seeking the best route with plenty of cover; the rest follow him, obeying the given signals (no verbal orders are allowed!), sometimes advancing individually, sometimes in groups of 2–3, some to the right, some to the left, etc., and always executing the given signals—not acting on their own initiative. Naturally, as long as the patrol advances as a whole, the assistant patrol leader receives the orders; once the patrol scatters, individual groups receive orders directly or via the assistant. A permanent liaison can also be introduced between the patrol leader and the patrol, who takes the orders and relays them backward.
The enemy observes from where the foe is approaching and, upon spotting them, tries not to lose sight of them. They note all clumsiness in the stalking, all mistakes, and later report them to the patrol leader. In this way, there is good control over the proficiency of individual Scouts, and lessons are drawn for the future.
Source scan: Polona / National Library of Poland, marked “Public domain”. View scan — PDF pages 100–102.
Metadata
Section titled “Metadata”- Type: game
- Traits: Not stated in the source
- Source: Zygmunt Wyrobek, Harcerz w polu: zabawy i gry terenowe (1946)
- Printed pages: 94–96 / PDF 100–102
- Digital edition: Digital edition · Source record
- Open the edition at the relevant page: p. 94
- Read the source text: hwp-035