Spies in the Camp
Translation details
Model:mistral-medium-2604.Translated text
Section titled “Translated text”Game marked with an asterisk in the book: more suitable for older scouts.
From each patrol participating in the exercise, two scouts are selected. These, as the reds, play against the remaining whites. The whites set up a camp with very visible boundaries and surround it with sentries. Half of the reds leave the camp, while the other half remain inside. Each patrol knows that there is one enemy among them, but no one knows who it is—especially since the reds do not reveal themselves. Only the exercise leader knows, as they secretly designated the reds before the exercise began.
The reds outside the camp (acting as scouts of the besieging force) attempt to sneak in to deliver a letter to the leader. Each carries one copy of the letter. If a red is caught inside the camp, they are searched, and the letter is confiscated if they have not managed to destroy or hide it.
Of course, a scout who has successfully infiltrated the camp cannot directly hand the letter to the leader (who remains impartial throughout the exercise) without risking almost certain capture, as the whites are vigilant and aware of the danger. Instead, they try to communicate with one of their hidden allies inside the camp and use them as an intermediary to deliver the letter. Before the exercise, the reds agree among themselves on methods of communication and coordinated actions. This agreement and the leader’s designation of the reds must occur before the exercise is announced, as the whites, knowing the objective, would either prevent communication or quickly identify the hidden enemies.
If the leader receives 2 letters within the specified time (3 if more than 5 patrols are camping), the reds win. If the reds fail, the whites win.
The camp should be set up in a location conducive to sneaking in, should be spacious with clearly visible and known boundaries to all, and the sentries should not be densely posted. Otherwise, the exercise cannot be carried out. The whites are not allowed to search the camp to find any hidden reds.
From the description, it is clear how difficult the reds’ task is. Infiltrating the camp is already challenging, and that is only half the task. Where to hide, and how to draw attention to oneself while the whites are alert to every suspicious movement or sound? And how to approach a comrade without revealing oneself, since the whites are watching each other and any action may seem suspicious? Only great self-control, immense patience, immediate decision-making at the right moment, along with cunning and ingenuity, can succeed. Much also depends on good prior coordination.
There can be countless ideas, changing with the situation. For example, one red might act clumsily in the camp to draw suspicion, then try to hand over a fake dispatch, creating a distraction to help another red deliver the letter to an intermediary. (This can only be done if they are certain someone is already hidden in the camp and simply lacks a way to receive the letter. This shows that even the disguised reds should have ways to communicate with each other.) A captured red might also carry a fake dispatch, and once in captivity, later deliver the real one—well hidden—to an intermediary. Similarly, a red sneaking in might deliberately attract the guard’s attention to help a comrade infiltrate the camp, and so on. Hundreds of ideas, adapted to the situation, but above all, cold blood—that is the first condition for success.
The camp should host various camp activities ordered by the leader. There should be normal movement, because if everyone sits and watches each other suspiciously, nothing will work. The leader should also change their position in the camp—in short, everything should proceed normally.
It should be added that a scout who has slipped past the guards must not be chased inside the camp; the guard may only signal danger with a whistle.
Scan source: Polona / National Library of Poland, marked “Public Domain”. View scan — PDF pages 183–186.
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: 177–180 / PDF 183–186
- Digital edition: Digital edition · Source record
- Open the edition at the relevant page: p. 177
- Read the source text: hwp-091