308 
SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
a great many of these signs. (See second row.) The 
hanging broken twig like the simple blaze means “This 
is the trail.” The twig clean broken off and laid on the 
ground across the line of march means, “Here break from 
your straight course and go in the line of the butt end/’ 
and when an especial warning is meant, the butt is pointed 
toward the one following the trail and raised somewhat, 
in a forked twig. If the butt of the twig were raised 
and pointing to the left, it would mean “Look out, camp, 
or ourselves, or the enemy, or the game we have killed 
is out that way.” With some, the elevation of the butt 
is made to show the distance of the object; if low the 
object is near, if raised very high the object is a long 
way off. 
These are the principal signs of the trail used by Wood- 
crafters, Indians, and hunters in most parts of America. 
These are the standards — the ones sure to* be seen by 
those ‘who camp in the wilderness. 
Smoke Signals 
There is in addition a useful kind of sign that has been 
mentioned already in these papers — that is, the Smoke 
Signal. These were used chiefly by the Plains’ Indians, 
but the Ojibways seem to have employed them at times. 
A clear hot fire was made, then covered with green 
stuff or rotten wood so that it sent up a solid column of 
black smoke. By spreading and lifting* a blanket over 
this smudge the column could be cut up into pieces long 
or short, and by a preconcerted code these could be made 
to convey tidings. 
But the simplest of all smoke codes and the one of 
chief use to the Western traveler is this: 
One steady smoke — “Here is camp.” 
Two steady smokes — “I am lost, come and help me.” 
I find two other smoke signals, namely : 
Three smokes in a row — “Good news.” 
/ 
