Surrounded By Savages

During the Boer War in Africa, Major Burnham, an American scout, was serving on the side of the British. Several hundred thousand natives in the heart of the Dark Continent were up in arms. Burnham and a companion were sent to seek information and learn the locations of the main groups of natives. Taking their horses, they rode into enemy territory and stayed there many days gathering important information.

When a man is scouting it is necessary that every one of his senses be acute if he is to come back alive. Therefore the scout must learn how to relax quickly and how to take advantage of any rest he can get, even when the situation is quite dangerous.

Burnham tells in his book, Scouting on Two Continents, how he and his companion were riding back toward the British lines one day, when they felt the need of rest for themselves and their horses. Since they were in enemy territory, they knew there was constant danger of being surrounded and captured. But they had one trump card which the natives did not have, and this made it possible for them to get away quickly or cover long distances. The fastest human runners would tire before catching up with their trusty horses.

There Are Countless Restful Places for Relaxation.

Selecting a spot out in the open plain where they could see for some distance in all directions, the two men staked out their horses and went about getting their much-needed rest. The plan was for one to watch while the other slept for about an hour. Burnham was the first to sleep. While he was rounding out his hour of deep slumber, his companion saw one or two natives far in the distance on a hill, and they were pointing toward the horses. He knew that he and Burnham had been spotted and that the natives would gather their forces presently and close in on them. Rest, however, was the most important thing at that moment for horses and men alike. When Burnham was aroused by his companion, and the situation explained to him, he suggested that his friend lie down for his nap, because he knew that the natives would not close in until all of their forces were gathered. In a moment the scout was fast asleep. Think of it! With enemies gathering on three sides, he lay down and was soon snoring away. Nearly an hour of precious complete relaxation was his before Burnham saw fit to arouse him. They then jumped quickly on their trusty mounts (Burnham had saddled them in the meantime) and dashed through the surprised ring of savages toward their own lines. A few hastily thrown spears followed them, but they were soon safe on the trail and all the better for the rest.

Major Burnham was a good scout because he had his nerves under complete control.

What a gift it is to be able to relax completely, even though dangers crowd in on all sides! That is what made Burnham a good scout - knowing how to trust his judgment, how to tell the right thing to do at the right time, and then being able to do it without hesitation. Being able to rest quickly and completely was as important as drawing a revolver in a flash or spotting a hoof mark in the sand.