Follow the Directions by Artix

Puzzle explanation

The theme was Charles Kingsley’s novel Westward Ho! The filled grid contained the hero AMYAS LEIGH in column 6 and the woman he initially loved, ROSE SALTERNE, in column 11. The first shape was an arrow pointing west, containing his name, which when cut out split her name into three parts. The remaining pieces, two triangles and two 6×3 rectangles, formed a congruent arrow pointing east, that contained ARROWHEADS crossing WESTWARD HO (on two lines). Joining the arrows, the second fitting snugly under the first, and replacing the U in 31dn with O (“love”) revealed Leigh’s true love, the Indian maiden AYACANORA.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 HOT-DOG (OT + DO) in H(averin)G
6 SABRE SA + BE around R
11 ZA’ATAR (AT BAZAAR − BA) *
12 ALIVE AVE around LI
13 NEWEST (W,E or E,W) in NEST
14 DIPODY POD in DIY
15 RAWER ROWER with A for O
17 SPONSAL SP + ON SAL(e)
19 MUSA (A + SUM) <
20 POSIT POST around I
21 SLOOP POOLS <
24 LAYLA LA-LA around Y
25 MELLS MELLORS − OR
27 AGON A + GO + N
29 EYEBATH ((b)ABY (t)EETH) *
30 ROAST (Zo)ROAST(rian)
31 ACATER AT in ACER
33 RUNRIG RUN + RIG
34 DEERE 2 meanings
35 EUCHRE CHE(q)UER(s) *
36 WARDS -WARDS
37 AUNTER ((Adve)NTURE A(s was)) *
Down
1 HEAD HE + A + D; ref. curling
2 TRIPOS TRIPS around (HERO − HER)
3 DEVONIANS ANS after DEVI around ON
4 GAMY GAMAY − A(roma)
5 CANELLA CAN + (f)ELLA(s)
6 STEREOME ME after STEREO
7 BREW-UP (PUB around WE’R(e)) <
8 ROSES OS in RES
9 EXTRAS EX + TRASH − H
10 CLIP-ON LIP in CON
16 AMOEBAEAN AMOEBAE + AN
18 STYPTICS STY + PICS around (loo)T
21 SLEIGHT homophone of SLIGHT
22 ALTERN (h)ALTER-N(ecked)
23 NARROW (W(ome)N around ORRA) <
24 LOANER ORLEANS * − S
26 LATENT LATE + NOT − O
28 GOURA GA around OUR
31 AURA (rest)AURA(nt)
32 REAR 2 meanings
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