s part of the advance guard, it seizes the mayor and
postmaster of the place and turns them over to the commander of the
vanguard with the papers seized.

(=d=) While searching a village sentinels are placed at points of
departure to prevent any of the inhabitants from leaving. Tall
buildings and steeples are ascended and an extensive view of the
surrounding country obtained.

(=e=) At night a village is more cautiously approached by a small
party than by day. The patrol glides through back alleys, across
gardens, etc., rather than along the main street. If there are no
signs of the enemy, it makes inquiry. If no light is seen, and it
seems imprudent to rouse any of the people, the patrol watches and
captures one of the inhabitants, and gets from him such information as
he may possess.

(=f=) The best time for the patrol to approach a village is at early
dawn, when it is light enough to see, but before the inhabitants are
up. It is dangerous in the extreme for a small patrol to enter a
village unless it is certain that it is not occupied by the enemy, for
the men could be shot down by fire from the windows, cellarways, etc.,
or entrapped and captured. As a rule large towns and cities are not
entered by small patrols, but are watched from the outside, as a small
force can not effectively reconnoiter and protect itself in such a
place.

Facts Which Should Be Obtained by Patrols Regarding Certain Objects

=998. Roads.= Their direction, their nature (macadamized, corduroy
plank, dirt, etc.), their condition of repair, their grade, the nature
of crossroads, and the points where they leave the main roads; their
borders (woods, hedges, fences or ditches), the places at which they
pass through defiles, cross heights or rivers, and where they
intersect railroads, their breadth (whether suitable for column of
fours or platoons, etc.).

=999. Railroads.= Their direction, gauge, the number of tracks,
stations and junctions, their grade, the length and height of the
cuts, embankments and tunnels.

=1000. Bridges.= Their position, their width and length, their
construction (trestle, girder, etc.), material (wood, brick, stone or
iron), the roads and approaches on each bank.

=1001. Rivers and Other Streams.= Their direction, width and depth,
the rapidity of the current, liability to sudden rises and the highest
and lowest points reached by the water, as indicated by drift wood,
etc., fords, the nature of the banks, kinds