BOY SCOUTS’ NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3687, 23 November 1912, Page 4

BOY SCOUTS’ NOTES.

THE CHIEF SCOUT IN NEW ZEALAND.

(By “The Trailer.’’)

In that popular little magazine “The Scout” the Chief Scout Lieut.General Sir Robert Badcn-Powell has been describing his recent tour of the world, and in the current "issue he proceeds, having already dealt with his arrival at Auckland, to describe his impressions of New Zealand. ’The Chief Scout says:—

I shall not easily forget my first view of the New Zealand boys'; it was a fine sight, for 3000 Cadets and 400 Boy Scouts were drawn up in a sort of natural arena in the park on the heights overlooking Auckland, and 10,600 spectators were on tho surrounding slopes. With bands playing and colors flying they made a brave show, and they seemed to bo as good as they looked. WINNERS OF THE KING’S FLAG. 'The Boy Scouts had a very large number of badges of offifficiency and ono of the Auckland Troops, the Ist Dev on port were the winners of the King’s Flag, having 23 King’s Scouts in their ranks!

'l’llat beats anything in England! And they only won it after a close race with other troops; and the examination was a tough and strict one. I wonder if this record -will be beaten next year by any troop elsewhere? Lord Islington presented the King’s Flag, with a very encouraging speech to the winners.

1. had afterwards the honor of pinning silver.crosses on the breasts of three Auckland Scouts for. different acts of gallantry in saving life at the risk of their own. So you pee the Now Zealand Scouts are not behind others in their efficiency. And yon should hear their “haka,” that is the New Zealand edition of tho “eengonyama” sa’uto! A leader starts the chant, they all smack their thighs and stamp in time and shout their salutaiton in Maori words, all exactly together, and the effect is fine.

THE CADETS. Among the cadets I found that the Scouts had made a good name for themselves, especially as nearly all the sergeants and corporals in the cadets are fellows who have been Scouts. The officers find that a. Scout on joining the cadets does not have to he taught discipline and obedience to orders, lie knows all that, and can be trusted to carry out his duty without anybody watching him to see that lie does it. Also he can keep other fellows in order, he can show them in camp how to cook their food and how to.make themselves comfortable, lie can signal and can render first-aid, and generally knows how to shoot, to act as guide, or to run or ride with ] dispatches. Besides being smart and well-set-up iu appearance, he has not .made himself sickly and nervous with cigarettesucking; so naturally the officers try to get hold of Scouts to make them non-commissioned officers of the cadets. Among the cadets 1 saw some'very fine companies, ■ and among the best was one composed of Maori boys; they are chirk red in color, and big, strongly made, hefty fellows who with their weight and size ought to knock spots off of any tug-of-war team of' the same age,

From Auckland we travelled by train through North Island down to Wellington at its southern end. ' Here again I. attended a parade of Scouts and Cadets (600 Syonts and 2000 Cadets), and I presented to the Scouts the flag of friendship which had been sent out by the Wellington f J.'roop in London. You should have heard the cheers with which the Scouts of Wellington, New Zealand, expressed tlihir thanks! Perhaps you did; they were almost loud enough to reach to the other side of tlio world. SAVED BY A BRAVE BUGLER. Near Wellington, at a place called Hutt, a gallant act was done by a boy in the fighting against the Maoris in 1865.

A force of British troops’ was camped here, and owing to tiie crafty and plucky nature of the enemy an extra strict watch was kept by the sentries at bight lest they should attempt to rush, the camp when the men were sleeping. On this particular night Bugler Allen of the 58th (now the Northampton Regiment) could not rest. I don’t know whether lie had the Scout’s ability to smell an enemy and could scent him in the breeze, but at any rate he was awake at the dangerous part of the night, that is, just before dawn, when an enemy is most likely to make his attack, and lie became an additional watcher with the regular sentries.

Just as light was beginning to come on through the mist of the night, there was a sudden rush and scurry through the long grass, and one of the sentries, near the bov was clubbed to the ground before he could utter a sound.

This opened a way for the Maoris to sweep silently into the camp and kill the men in their sleep, but they had not reckoned on the boy. In an instant his bugle went to bis lips and the “alarm” suddenly blared out all over the camp.

A warrior rushed at him with an axe which the boy dodged as it foil, and it cut deep into his arm; but he continued to sound the call to the men till another blow stretched him senseless and dying on the ground. But he had done his duty; he had saved the camp, for the soldiers sleeping on their rifles sprang up and poured a rapid fire into their foes, and drove them off with heavv loss.