178 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



takes place in the same direction as the cyclone mo- 

 tion. This peculiarity is converted into the following 

 rule-of-thumb for sailors who encounter a cyclone, and 

 seek to escape from the region of fiercest storm : 

 Facing the wind, the centre or vortex of the storm lies 

 to the right in the northern, to the left in the southern, 

 hemisphere. Safety lies in flying from the centre in 

 every case save one that is, when the sailor lies in 

 the direct track of the advancing vortex. In this 

 case, to fly from the centre would be to keep in the 

 storm-track ; the proper course for the sailor when 

 thus situated is to steer for the calmer side of the 

 storm-track. This is always the outside of the cj, as 

 will appear from a moment's consideration of the spiral 

 curve traced out by a cyclone. Thus, if the seaman 

 scud before the wind in all other cases a dangerous 

 expedient in a cyclone * he will probably escape un- 

 scathed. There is, however, this danger, that the 

 storm-track may extend to or even slightly overlap 

 the land, in which case scudding before the gale would 

 bring the ship upon a lee-shore. And in this way 

 many gallant ships have, doubtless, suffered wreck. 



The danger of the sailor is obviously greater, how- 

 ever, when he is overtaken by the storm on the inner 

 side of the storm- et Here he has to encounter the 



* A ship by scudding before the gale may if the captain is not 

 familiar with the laws of cyclones go round and round without escap- 

 ing. The ship "Charles Heddlc" did this in the East Indies, going 

 round no less than five times. 



