ommanders, he
will himself visit the outguards and supports and make such changes as
he may deem necessary, immediately after which he will submit to the
commander of the troops a written report, accompanied by a combined
sketch showing the positions of the different parts of the outpost.
The major might begin his inspection of the line of outguards before
receiving the reports of the company commanders.

In training and instructing the company in outpost work, it is always
best to send out a few patrols and scouts an hour or two in advance,
with definite instructions as to what they are to do, and have them
operate against the company as hostile scouts and patrols. If the rest
of the company know that patrols and scouts are operating in their
front, and will try to work their way through the outpost line, they
will naturally take a keener interest in their work. Exercises of this
kind create a feeling of rivalry between the scouts and patrols, who,
on the one hand, are trying to work their way through the line of
outposts, and the outguards and patrols, who, on the other hand, are
trying to prevent them from so doing. It makes the work much more
_human_.

CHAPTER VII

THE COMPANY IN SCOUTING[13] AND PATROLLING

=1081.= The general principles of patrolling are explained in Par.
959; so we need not repeat them here.

Many of the principles of scouting are, in reality, nothing but the
fundamentals of patrolling, and the main function of scouting,
_reconnoitering_, is also the function of a certain class of patrols.
So, we see that scouting and patrolling are inseparably connected, and
the importance of training the members of the company in the
principles of scouting is, therefore, evident.

=1082. Requisites of a good Scout.= A man, to make a good scout,
should possess the following qualifications:--

Have good eyesight and hearing;
Be active, intelligent and resourceful;
Be confident and plucky;
Be healthy and strong;
Be able to swim, signal, read a map, make a rough sketch, and,
of course, read and write.

=1083. Eyesight and Hearing.= To be able to use the eye and the ear
quickly and accurately is one of the first principles of successful
scouting. Quickness and accuracy of sight and hearing are to a great
extent a matter of training and practice. The savage, for instance,
almost invariably has quick eyesight and good hearing, simply from
continual practice.

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