The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-08-29
DR.. Carver on Archery.


deposited whole sheaf of brightly
feathered arrows on table, took off his
outrageous felt, and drew up chair.
81 must be shooting something or other
all the time If it isn't Winchester
it's bow and arrow. Pretty, they are.
But most too fine! Fancy things, these
arrows, for handsome young ladies to
shoot on grass plats at straw targets.
Now, an Indian arrow is good bit
longer-maybe. thirty-two inches-and
when a Sioux draws it chock up to the
bow it fairly huns when he lets it fly.
An Indian arrow has grooves cut in it
behind the barb, that is to say the ones
they use in hunting, so that the blood
can flow, otherwise the wood would spoil
and swell. The fighting arrows are
nasty things. The barb is SO put on the
shaft that when it hits you the steel, or
old hoop iron, stays in the flesh when
you go to pull out the arrow. Dear
sakes! what ugly wounds l have seen
them make An Indian boy begins to
handle light bow when he toddles,
maybe at four or five years. His bow
is taller than he is. He shoots at most
anything around the camp. When he
is twelve he uses sharp arrows. A boy
must be strong at eighteen to use a
mans bow. Now, white man who
takes an Indian bow for the first time
has all he can do to bend it. 1t wants
some strength, but more knack. The
bow is made straight When it is
strung, the cord, even when in tension,
lolr 10, hn hAr 6 ~
some four and half to five feet long
that is their hunting bow-and has
extra stifening by having sinews pasted
on it. l have seen We-shessa-has-ka
that's the Long Man, and he was the
best of the Ogala Sioux, kill an antelope
with his arrow at one hundred and
twenty-five measured yards. We-shessa
has-ka was nearly seven feet tall, and 8
good Indian. On horseback, bread
side to buffalo, 1 have more than once
known that Indian to send an arrow
through big COW. The arrow hung
out on the other side The bow fol
horseback and for war is a trife shorter
and maybe sitter. You do not draw
the arrow to the eye, but catch aim as
do when shooting from the hip. Thai
can only be acquired by long practice
The string is drawn by the clutch of the
whole fingers. The long man coulC
shoot an arrow in the air out of sight
and so can (the Doctor pointed to al
arrow buried up to the feather in tn,
ceiling of our Office, his own peculia
ornamentation of the Forest and Stream
sanctum). I think that in couple O
months 1 could get into perfectpractice
for used to hold my own with an,
Indian on the plains. Sometimes afte
1 had been shooting with my Win
chester, an Indian would come up ant
show his bow, and tell me his bow wa
'muchee good;' but then used to TAX
his own bow and beat him at it.
"To pass away the time when was a
the Brooklyn Driving Park, bought m
an English bow and arrows of Holbel
ton, and soon got into the trick of it.
hit blocks of wood thrown into the al
quite as often as l missed them. Th
English bows and arrows are fancy, bu
good. would rather have mold Siou
one, made of hickory or ash, but tn
boss bow / ever owned was made G
buffalo ribs. An Indian carries hi
quiyer of arrows over his right shouldel
SO that he can get his arrows quickly
When he has discharged one arrow 9TH
Doctor pronounces arrow with singl
letter; he calls it an R), with the sam
motion as he uses in pulling the strin
he clutches another arrow. If he shoo
one hundred yards he has three or fou
arrows in the air, all going at the san
time. It's great fun shooting at biz
with long tail that flies over Il
| prairie. Knock out his tail and h
steering apparatus is gone. 1 ha,
knocked the tail out of many one, an
so caught him in my hands when f
tumbled. See here. Talking abol
these things just makes me long to
back again on the plains. New York
} mighty good place, and l have mat
lots Of friends; but somehow 1 want
horse, and big field with miles {
!, miles before me to gallop over, al
} buffalo just showing on the divide
And here DR.. Carver shut his eyes al
seemed lost for while in the visions
rolling prairies in the far-off Westel