The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-04-02
From the Scientific American
Habits Of BeWiiicred Persons.


MEssRs. EDlToRs In a late number O.
your paper you state, in answer to some
correspondent, that you have no conf
dencc in the report that when man is
| lost ne will travel in circle" In this YOU
are certainly mistaken; it is fact well
| known to all frontiersmen that, when Der.
| sons are hcwildercd, they frequently travel
! in perfect circle. sometimes keeping the
same track until they have made half q
| dozen equal rounds; ut ether times max
| ing the circle larger or smaller each time
1t is not bv any means always the case
when a person is lost but it is so freq,I, nj
that it is within the experience of every
one who has been much III the woods. In
calm and cloudy weather, and ia a country
Of much sameness OF appearance, the best
woodsmcn get so bewildercd as to :" take
the circles Persons not accustomed to
the woods will sometimes do 50. when the
sun IS shining and steady breeze blow
ing On the level or gulf prairies Of this
country on a calm. foggv morning, no man
can travel without a road. 1t is an Incl
dent Of everyday occurrence in spring and
fall seasons, that men are thus bccalmed d
on the prairie ctiactually are ships at
sea; nor Will a compass mend the matter,
for it cannot be carried steadily enough 10
keep its meridian, and the course it points
cannot be kept for fifty yards; il a man
attempts it. he viii make a circle and
come back 70 the place he started from
The circle will be large or small generally
in proportion to the density Of the fog
sometimes only hundred miles III diane
ter; at other times mile. but seldom
more The circles thus made are perfect
This kind Of wandering seems to arise from
an attempt TO 90 a straight course when
there j. nothing u "uide the senses, or
when the usual guide of sun, wind, or the
general contour of the country arc di~re-
garIcd /. rarely bc:a!!, children. who DO
not attempt 10 20 on cg,Tss, but only run
from one visible point u another equally
pcrceptitie.
Many apparently trivial trait. in the dis
positions Of animals. which are Of Great
use 10 woodsIncn. are omitted III books Of
natural history: chiefly from ignorance, no
doubt. one Of them i the disposition Of
4 horse when frightened. 10 run a71.,r. the
'~iod if any : blowing Thousand, Of
horse, which would be othery;-e irrecove-
rably lost annually. on this frontier are
recovered 10y observing this simple rule IN
pursuit i animals have similar inexpIi-
cable traits III their disposition. and men
are no exception 10 the rule Whit men.
when they are scared. val retreat u. the
same directtml ~ yti-i th.ry cf,t1 The IuIi-
ans know this. and lay their plans accord
in"ly; and many 2 -il'lut company has
been cut 70 pieces. simply from ignorance
Of this fact. But tho~c who understand
these matters. when they find il necessary
to MAKE a ha,ty retreat alway, do so IN a
straight line and in direction different
from the one N which they came.
w. t,,-,-I,ntly Ia -. psvfPF- now IL.
papers Of chi!.irrn beng lost Such
thincs rarely occur on I'M. frontier; tho
children often wander and there are but
few u-igLiOI- = l-lp "a search. :nr them.
Perhaps. the cause ot humanity mi ,h' be
,ub--rv-d 10y publishing :ew rules - BE-
observed in such searches. Any child VIII
make 81 track ov trail plain enough u IL
followed 10y The cyc, over any ground. I'm
los there be much passing o. men or ami
ual> - spoil tn trail and i can be .oi-
lowed by almost any person Of good sight
although Ee may not have had any prev
ous experience 90 tDthe place where the
- i'd ,-tS lyst ---~-,-nr7I Look for tho trail
GlanCinc along the ground with Il shan,
scanning look. when it i found. = faint
kind 0F line viii b" seen. which NAV G-
followed ~ . fast walk. until well-detned
track occuI~. # III" trailer stops - lo0!.
for the track. he will probably lose the
trail and must 20 back and take j. ~
a-0!u with the same scanning glance along
the ground The 1r7,; which hunters and
Indians follow slliI.ully. Is not 80 much
composed Of tracks or footprints. as Of IN
d,~c.iboblc little signs. such q leaves and
blades Of gg.,-> bent OF turned. ;wicS broll-
en-. and other things 20 small and faint
that they cannot be shown to any one, Vet
which, when all !ut together. make a Kind
OF Inc along the ground. which line can be
seen 10y a RAPID glancin- look, but which
will disappear when looked at steady
The trail of a human being i more easily
followed than that of am other creature
because there IS a kind Of purpose in it
different from the trail of irrational ami
mals \ child VIII change its course
around every thick clunp OF bushes, and
90 nearly straight where the ground i
open. II it Is scared and running, it will
run ti0n the wind if much is blowing and
from any voice j; hears in such eases
therefore, it Is not good policy to call upon
the lost child : name NJ " K
Goliad Texas. March. lsJ9.