Now the great point about Orion is that by him you always can tell which way the north or Pole Star lies, and which way the south, and you can see him whether you are in the south or the north part of the world. The Great Bear you only see when you are in the north, and the Southern Cross when you are in the south.
If you draw a line, by holding up your staff against the sky, from the centre star of Orion's belt through the centre of his head, and carry that line on through two big stars till it comes to a third, that third one is the North or Pole star.
Then if you draw a line the other way, beginning again with the centre star of the belt, and passing through the centre star of the sword your line goes through another group of stars shaped like the letter L. And if you go about as far again past L, you come to the South Pole, which unfortunately is not marked by any star.
Roughly, Orion's sword—the three small stars—points north and south.
The Zulu scouts call Orion's belt and sword the "Ingolubu," or three pigs pursued by three dogs. The Masai in East Africa say that the three stars in Orion's belt are three bachelors being followed by three old maids. You see scouts all know Orion, though under different names.
Orion and his sword always point North and South.
On the south side of the world, that is in South Africa, South America, and Australia, the Plough or Great Bear is not visible, but the Southern Cross is seen. The Southern Cross is a good guide as to where the exact south is, which, of course, tells a scout just as much as the Great Bear in the north pointing to the North Star.
Southern Cross.