ut this, of course, does not exclude the
necessity for them to keep their eyes open for other things, and to
report all they may notice.

Such a systematic arrangement brings other advantages in its train. It
effects a marked economy of one's available forces, for being certain
that every mission will be settled by a special party detailed for that
purpose, it ceases to be necessary to keep on despatching fresh patrols
again and again in the same direction, a practice most detrimental to
the troops, which is constantly followed in peace-time; and it can never
happen that a body is surprised by the enemy because its scouts are
absent reconnoitring, or that it fails to receive information because
its patrols are busy with security. If, therefore, all patrols thus
naturally fall into one of these two groups--reconnoitring and security
patrols--there is still another line of distinction to be observed
between these patrols themselves, arising from the nature of the tasks
which the circumstances impose upon them.

It is impossible to lay down any distinct rules in this matter--for
War will always present new and changing problems--but broadly two
points of view must be kept in sight, which require fundamentally
different treatment, and are conditioned by our distance from the
enemy.

If the opposing forces are still engaged in preliminary approaches one
to the other, and separated by wide stretches of country, the
procedure will be altogether distinct from that to be adopted when the
outposts mutually confront one another.

Between the two extremes there are innumerable intermediate degrees,
to which one's conduct must be adapted without losing sight of the
guiding points involved.

Let us take first the period of approach, and consider the
reconnoitring problem from this aspect, taking into consideration the
broad requirements of modern War.

It will be apparent at once that there is here a double purpose to be
fulfilled--viz., to ascertain the whereabouts and direction of
movement of the elements of the enemy's main fighting force, the
primary object of all reconnaissance; and, secondly, to find the
enemy's preceding Cavalry screen, whose purpose it is, on the one
hand, to prevent our object, and, on the other hand, to conceal their
own main body. This cavalry we shall have to defeat, but we cannot
afford to await this event, but must initiate our own reconnaissance
before the decision, and endeavour to carry this