Low Down Articles
Echoes from the Past
Article 99 of 111
This article first appeared in the "Echoes from the Past" column of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
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To the World Scout Jamboree 1955 (part two)
PART TWO
Readers may remember the Odyssy of Scouts David McGarry and John Harrison as they participated in their quest to become 1st Class Scouts.
We left the youngsters sketching a large church with a steeple, having estimated the height of that steeple. Another envelope of sealed instructions took them along the Notch Road to the corner of the Mine Road. At this corner they were to take a compass bearing along the centre of the Notch Road to where is disappeared in the distance. They were also to report on the condition of the road surface for jeep travel.
Leaving the corner the two were to proceed along Mine Road until they could clearly see the church which they had sketched. Here Envelope No. 4 was to be opened.
| No. 4 It may be necessary to shell the bomb factory (church) from this vantage point. It is important that we should have your bearing from this factory. This must be true. Having procured this bearing accurately, proceed along the road in a SE. direction for about 600 yards, a road branches off at 210 degrees T, take it. |
| No. 5 On the road, you are now on you will meet Comrade Nicholas Spudunshi who is another secret agent. Ask him where you can pitch your tent for the night. This should be in the vicinity of 382 358. |
Here the two secret agents put up their tent, cooked supper, brought their logs up-to-date, then retired.
| No. 6 SEALED INSTRUCTIONS-NOT TO BE OPENED BEFORE 0600 - HOURS 8 MAY 1955 There is a strange Russian animal which looks like a Canadian cow. Make a plaster cast of the track of this animal. At 0800 hours prepare to move on. |
| No. 7 Leaving your campsite return by the same route to the reservoir 379 364. Here you will find two posts. Select the correct one and STRING along for the REST OF THE JOURNEY. Select the right one and you'll be left (to end your days in Siberia). Should you be unable to locate Envelope 8 you may open envelope marked SPECIAL SECRET INSTRUCTIONS, but be warned: It will mean an extra 2 miles. |
To put the reader in the picture -- Envelope No. 8 had been placed in a "mason jar" along with two chocolate bars. The sealed jar having been firmly tied by a length of cord it was tossed into the water, the free end of the cord was fastened to one of the posts. It may please the reader to know the two scouts save themselves an extra two miles on their journey. This "thriller to be continued".
This "thriller" to be continued.