Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

76 CAMl^lNCi AND WOODCRAFTMeridian by Watch.—One's watch, if it bekeeping correct time, and the sun is shining, can beused as a compass (Fig. ii). The watch beingset by local (sun) time, turn the face of the watchto the sun in such position that the hour-hand shallpoint to the sun. Half-way between the hour-handand 12 o'clock will then be the south point (southof the equator, the north point). Of course, whenthe sun is near the zenith this trick will not work.To do the thing accurately, hold a grass stemFig. 11.— Meridian by Sunor other small object vertically so itsshadow will becast across the face of the watch, and then bring thehour-hand into this shadow.By laying the watch on a level place and sightingacross it at a pole, the true meridian may be establishedclosely enough for most purposes.Meridian by Shadow.—^When rough-and-readymethods are not precise enough for one's purpose,the following method will give a true meridian bywhich variation of the compass may be corrected(Fig. 12) : On a smooth and level piece of groundlean a pole toward the north and rest it in a crotchor on shears as shown. Make a plummet withstring and stone or other weight, and suspend itfrom the end of the pole so that the plumb-bobnearly touches the ground.