SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
309 
Four smokes in a row — “All are summoned to council.” 
These latter I find not of general use, nor are they so 
likely to be of service as the first two given. 
Signal by Shots 
The old buffalo hunters had an established signal that 
is yet used by the mountain guides. It is as follows: 
Two shots in rapid succession, an interval of five sec- 
onds by the watch, then one shot; this means, “where 
are you?” The answer given at once and exactly the 
same means “Here I am; what do you want?” The re- 
ply to this may be one shot, which means, “All right; I 
only wanted to know where you were.” But if the reply 
repeats the first it means, “I am in serious trouble ; come 
as fast as you can.” 
Totems in Town 
A totem is an emblem of a man, a group of men, or 
an idea. It has no reference to words or letters. 
Before men knew how to write they needed marks to 
indicate ownership. This mark must be simple and legi- 
ble and was chosen because of something connected with 
the owner or his family. Later some of the trades adopt- 
ed a symbol ; for instance the barbers in the early days 
were “blood letters” and were closely associated with the 
medical profession. Their totem indicated their business 
and we have the red and white barber pole of today. It 
was among the Indians along the West coast of America 
that the science and art of totems reached its highest 
development, though they have a world-wide usage and 
go back in history to the earliest times. 
Out of this use of totems as owner marks and signs 
grew the whole science of heraldry and national flags. 
Thanks to the fusion of many small armies into one 
or two big armies, that is, of many tribes into a nation, 
and also to modern weapons which made it possible to 
kill a man farther off than you could see the totem on 
