he others remain concealed in the rear until he
signals them to advance.

=996. Houses.= When a house is approached by a patrol, it is first
reconnoitered from a distance, and if nothing suspicious is seen, it
is then approached by one or two men, the rest of the party remaining
concealed in observation. If the patrol is large enough to admit of
it, four men approach the house, so as to examine the front and back
entrances at the same time. Only one man enters the door, the others
remaining outside to give the alarm, should a party of the enemy be
concealed in the house. The patrol does not remain in the vicinity of
the house any longer than necessary, as information relative to its
numbers and movements might be given to the enemy, if a hostile party
should subsequently visit the place. Farmhouses are searched for
newspapers and the inhabitants questioned. If necessary to go up to a
building, wood or hill, where an enemy is likely to be concealed, run
for the last couple of hundred yards, having your rifle ready for
instant use, and make for some point that will afford you cover when
you get close up. In the case of a building, for instance, you would
make for one of the corners. Such a maneuver would probably be
disconcerting to anyone who might be lying in wait for you, and would
be quite likely to cause them to show themselves sooner than they
intended, and thus give you a chance to turn around and get away. If
they fired on you while you were approaching at a run, they would not
be very likely to hit you.

=997. Villages.= (=a=) In approaching a small village one or two men
are sent in to reconnoiter and one around each flank, but the main
body does not enter until the scouts have reported. In small patrols
of three to six men so much dispersion is not safe and only one
section of the village can be reconnoitered at a time.

(=b=) If the presence of the enemy is not apparent, the patrol enters
the village. A suitable formation would be in single file at proper
distance, each man being on the opposite side of the street from his
predecessor, thus presenting a more difficult target for hostile fire
and enabling the men to watch all windows.

(=c=) If the patrol is strong enough, it seizes the postoffice,
telegraph office and railroad stations, and secures all important
papers, such as files of telegrams sent and received, instructions to
postmasters, orders of town mayor, etc., that may be there. If the
patrol i