Pluck on the Long Trail; Or, Boy Scouts in the RockiesSabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
General
Pluck on the Long Trail; Or, Boy Scouts in the Rockies
Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
Boy Scouts of America -- Juvenile fiction; Hiking -- Juvenile fiction; Rocky Mountains -- Juvenile fiction
Note 35, page 77: Great generals and captains make it a point not to do
what the enemy wants them to do or expects them to do, and never to
think that the enemy is less smart than they are themselves. To despise
the enemy is to give him an advantage.
CHAPTER VIII
Note 36, page 88: "Parole" means word of honor not to attempt escape;
and in war when a prisoner of rank gives this promise he is permitted
his freedom within certain limits. Sometimes he is released entirely
upon his promise or parole not to fight again during the war. Paroles
are deemed serious matters, and few men are so reckless and deceitful as
to break them. But of course there are two sides to a parole; and if it
is not accepted as honestly as it is given, then there is no bargain.
But if there is the slightest doubt or argument, then the Scout ought to
stay a prisoner, rather than escape with dishonor, charged with breaking
his word. That the other fellow is dishonest is no excuse for the Scout
being dishonest, too.
Note 37, page 89: The sign for escape is this: Bridger crossed his
wrists, with his fists doubled, and wrenched them apart, upward, as if
breaking a cord binding them. He may have used the "Go" sign, which is
the hand extended, edge up, in front of the hip, and pushed forward with
an upward motion, as if climbing a trail.
Note 38, page 94: An old scout method of tying a prisoner's arms behind
his back is to place the hands there with their backs together, and to
tie the thumbs and the little fingers! This requires only ordinary cord
and not much of it, and even a strip from a handkerchief will do. To
prevent the prisoner from running away, he may be stood up against a
tree and his arms passed behind that, before the hands are tied.
CHAPTER IX
Note 39, page 100: Persons who are lost and are going it blindly on foot
usually keep inclining to the left, because they step a little farther
with the right foot than with the left. After a time they complete a
circle. Scouts should watch themselves and note whether they are making
toward the left or not. Horses, too, are supposed to circle toward the
left. But all this applies chiefly to the level country. In the
mountains and hills the course is irregular, as the person or horse
climbs up and down, picking the easier way. And on a slope anybody is
always slipping downward a little, on a slant toward the bottom, unless
he lines his trail by a tree or rock.
Scouts when they think that they are lost should hold to their good
sense. If they feel themselves growing panicky, they had better sit down
and wait until they can reason things out. The Scout who takes matters
easy can get along for a couple of days until he is found or has worked
himself free; but the Scout who runs and chases and sobs and shrieks
wears himself down so that he is no good.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account