With the weak companies which we often have it is sometimes difficult to find sufficient men for the complete service of outposts, and when this is so the position of piquets, and even of groups, may be marked with flags. The one service which should never be dispensed with is that of the reconnoitring patrols. It should be impressed upon all that the protection afforded by groups and piquets, unless supplemented by a regular system of reconnoitring patrols, is altogether inadequate, and every commander should invariably satisfy himself that the proportion of men told off for patrol duty is sufficient to carry out the work properly. _Position of Piquets at Night._ Unless a piquet is protected by obstacles, its best means of defence at night lies in a resolute counter-attack, and to carry out this a clear space is necessary. The Regulations lay down that the first duty of outposts is to strengthen their position as much as possible, and in open country the usual course followed is to entrench the groups and piquets. Now a shelter trench affords fair protection in the day time and may be useful at night if the ground immediately in front of it is illuminated by searchlights, but in the dark it loses a great deal of its value, and it is obviously a very bad place to receive a bayonet charge in. For this reason it is better at night to withdraw the piquets about 30 yards behind the trench; this latter will then form an obstacle likely to break the ranks of an assaulting enemy, and the defenders will have room for the counter-charge. _Readiness for Action._ It cannot be too strongly insisted on that piquets must always be ready for action. The men should sleep with their rifles beside them, in the positions they will occupy in the ranks, and must not be allowed to cover their ears when lying down. Either the commander, or the next in command, together with a proportion of the piquet, must always remain awake, and when the commander lies down he should do so close to the sentry over the piquet. This readiness for action is often neglected; it is, of course, necessary that officers and men on outpost duty should sleep, but arrangements must be made to ensure that some of the piquet are always alert. At manœuvres I have often seen an entire piquet peacefully asleep, trusting to the protection afforded by one or two groups 200 or 300 yards away, and the single sentry over the piquet. Any one who has had experience of the heavy sleep which overtakes tired men will know the difficulty there would be in quickly rousing a piquet under these circumstances. I remember on one occasion witnessing a night attack on a piquet by a company of the enemy, which charged, with loud cheers, yet some minutes after the assault had been delivered, two or three members of the piquet were found to be still fast asleep, with their heads enveloped in their blankets. _Cover for Groups._