_Captain Hall_: “I would go to the sentinel post and ask the men.”
_The Director_: “Wait a minute. Let us not go too fast on this proposition. You have the other men of your patrol with you. What are you going to do with them?”
_Captain Hall_: “That’s right. I would have to tell them what to do. I would say to Manley in a low tone;
“‘Have the patrol halt and remain in place.’
Which means the men would halt where they are and stay there until I return.”
_The Director_: “We will assume that you have halted the patrol. Would you go to the sentinel post without first notifying the outguard that you are going to do so?”
_Captain Hall_: “No, sir. I had forgotten about that. I would go to the outguard and tell the outguard commander that I am going out to see his sentinels and would get him to come along with me.”
_The Director_: “Reflect a moment. Remember, yours is not the only visiting patrol that comes along the route tonight. There is one every two hours. The outguard commander has to be up every two hours to post his reliefs. The support commander has arranged his visiting patrols so that they will come along the line of observation when the sentinels on post are about in the middle of their tour. If you get the outguard commander out at this time, he will be up practically all night and will not be fit for much service tomorrow. I do not think you would insist on seeing the outguard commander unless he happened to be awake at this particular time. It would be sufficient to tell the outguard sentinel what you are going to do.”
_Captain Hall_: “I would go to the outguard and notify the man on duty there that I am going out to the sentinel.”
_The Director_: “Don’t go too fast. What I want to bring out at this time is just how you are going to approach the post of the outguard. Tell us in detail how you would do it.”
_Captain Hall_: “I will go up to this point. (Captain Hall advances to the point indicated). I will call in a low tone of voice ‘Visiting patrol.’ If I get no response I will advance a little closer and repeat my recognition signal and would continue until I am recognized. When the man on duty hears my call he will probably say to me ‘Give the countersign.’ I will give the countersign in a low tone of voice. He will tell me to advance and I will then go to the post of the outguard.”