New-York tribune., 1909-04-04
OBSERF4TION.
Its Usefulness IN Time of Var.

Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood in The Satur-
day Review
A few years ago two British officers went for
a months shooting trip in the northwest OF Can
ada, and arranged to meet two friends az the
end of a fortnight. on the fourteenth day the
party struck a trail going IN the same direction
as their own, and one remarked 70 the tracker.
We must be Oyertaking our friends. The guide
asked. Have they a baggage pony No. only
horses" Then the trail Is not that OF your
friends for in front of us there are three horses
and q pony which is blind of its near eye At
sunset when the officers overlook the party and
noticed that their guide had been correct. they
asked, How did you know that the pony was
blind of its near eye" He replied Because as
it closed in on the horses it often made a false
step"
A countryman may learn much from observing
the habits of animals and birds he following
are two remarkable instances from history Of the
military value Of such knowledge, accompanied
with the practice of making sound deductions
the former instance from negative conditions
the latter from positive signs on June 5. 1854
Mr. q Ricketts, G b. learnt at LOdiana. from
his assistant Mr. Thornton. that from the
PhiIur Fort he had seen the Jalandha brigade Of
mutineers, then marching toward Delhi. r.
Ceived as guests in the Phllur cantOnment Dy the
Sd Bengal Infantry, detachment OF which Teg1-
ment held the LOdiana Fort. which IS eight
miles distant from PhilUr and On the south bank
of the Satlaj- The river IN 1857 ran IN one
main broad unfOrdable channel, with many
subsidiary streams Mr. Thornton in TeCrOSSing
the floating bridge had cut away the northern
end of the boats. thus SeveTInS The cOT1munlca-
tiOD with the south bank. The deputy COM
missioner having ordered a force 0f Irreguiaz
TO follow him rode 70 the bridge head and
crossed over the main channel in a Terry0oat-
There was still mile of sand and wafer, JIng!S
and shallow streams between MN ana the
northern bank of the river. a few hundred yards
from which the Phllur Fort stood Ih- boat
men now refused 10 follow the deputy com
missioner. who was wading with his trousers
off. because two hours earlier they had seen
several mutineeTs who had marched down hop
ing 10 cross by the bridge. disappear into the
high Jungle when they realized that the bridse
had baen cut Mr. Ricketts, while looking al
the bank observed a large black and white
kingtisher. a shy bird, pOise over the jungle and
syyoop down into pool Just outside Il IheA
seeing several more. he said, come on. tneTe
X no one there" How can you tell' Just
look at those kingfsherS, they never settle near
men: and the bOatmen. quite saJlSaed- IoiLo"el
him to the fort
Tba Dositfye instance occurred in 1866. The
Archduka Joseph distant relative of the En-
peror Francis Joseph OF Austria belonged - n
branch of the HapsburgS which hdd peen sstlTl
in Hungary for more than century He vas
the great protector Of the local SypSleS-W -WheIc
his name The Gypsy Archduke"-lnd had pop
ularized the TZigane music by arranging inal'
Of their tunes in scores for orCheStrlS-
During the night. July 2-S. before the baJue
of Sadowa a division commanded by the arm
duke retreating before the PruSSian army, n--
bivouacked near a town IN h'HeilL-l M - g.
north At midnight the arChduhe, when reSl-'
in a peasant'S cottage, was awakened Dy .N
arrival of a gypsy, who insisted on seeing n-
personally, having come To report the advaao
of the enemy The arChdUke. who spoke ~
many tiuently. asked. How do YOU hh'" -
outposts have not reported any hoEenlgl-
That YOUR highneSS. is because the enemy
still some way of Then how do you hng"
Th,. gypsy pointing 20 the dark sky. Hshlsi :.
the moon observed. You see those BIRDS -
over the woods from north u south, ie
what of them -" Those birds do not Hy oy -
unless disturbed and the direction OF their rs
indicates that the enemy IS coming lIls -
The arcbduke nut his division under arms az
reinforced the OutpOsts. which IN Two A'-
time were heavily attacked