If a person saw the new moon but cannot walk, they may bring him on a donkey, [and] even on a bed. [And] if an ambush awaits them, they may arm themselves with sticks; and if it was a distant journey, they may take food in their hands, since for a journey of a night and a day they may desecrate the Sabbath and go forth to render testimony about the new moon, as it is said: These are the appointed times of HASHEM ... which you shall declare in their fixed time.

If they do not know him, they send another [pair of witnesses] with him to testify about him.  Originally they accepted testimony about the new moon from anyone, [but] after the heretics did harm, they enacted that they should not accept [testimony] except from known people.

Originally they used to light torches; [but] after the Cutheans did harm, they enacted that messengers should go forth.

How did they light the torches?  They would bring long poles of cedar-wood, reeds, balsam-wood, and fiber-chips of flax. Someone would tie them together with rope, climb to the mountaintop, set fire to them and wave [the torch] back and forth, up and down, until he saw his colleague doing likewise on top of the second mountain; and so, too, on top of the third mountain.