nine o'clock
It is now nine o'clock , and you will see that our pole -LRB- A -RRB- throws a shadow to the southwest . Supposing now , we direct the first leg of our journey to that large tree -LRB- C -RRB- , to the west of us . If , now , we put one leg -LRB- D -RRB- of our rule along the shadow line , and the other leg -LRB- E -RRB- along the sight of the line -LRB- F -RRB- , which goes to the tree , we shall find that the distance across between the ends of the bevel square is just two feet . It happens in this case that the tree -LRB- C -RRB- is due west from our observation point ; so we have at nine o'clock each morning a means whereby we can always determine the true east and west . '' `` But supposing we lose our reckoning during the day , on account of cloudy weather , or by going through the forest , where we can not make observations ? '' -LSB- Illustration : _ Fig. 6 . SIGHTING THE DIRECTION _ -RSB- `` We could , probably , travel an entire day in one general direction , without being more than a few miles out of our course , north or south , and our direction immediately made out the next day . ''