Evening star., 1898-07-16

| Making the Bow.
Next, cut the notches for the string, as
| shown in the illustration. You can make
| horn tips If you like first softening the
| horn in boiling water; but 1t will answer
every purpose if you cut the notches neatly
| in the wood. Don't cut them too deep.
Now, string your bow, bending it slightly
any stout cord will do at this point-and
scrap pc the wood with a bit of sharp glass
until the curve is absolutely even from tip
to tip. Try the strength of your weapon by
holding 1t upright at arms length and eau
| tiously drawing the string to your cheek.
| If 1t is too stiff work it down by more
Scraping until you can readily control it.
Finally, when it just suits you, smooth and
| polish the wood with the finest sandpaper
you can get, varnish the surface with good
varnish and let 1t dry thoroughly. Wrap
| the handle smoothly with green tape, fast
| ening It with glue. If all this has been
done with care and skill, you have provided
yourself with handsome and extremely
effective bow after the old English model.
If you make your own bowstring, use
stout linen twine or packthread doubled
until 1t is strong enough, lightly and
smoothly twisted. and well waxed. Don t
use fish line it is too elastic At one end
make a loop just big enough to slip easily
over the end of the bow, and bind It firm-
ly with waxed linen thread. Slide this loop
three or four inches down the upper limb
of the bow and tie the other end to the
notch of the lower limb using the knot
shown in the illustration: the picture makes
1t much palmer than any amount of eX-
planation in words. Adjust this knot so
that when the bow is frightened the string
Will stand out about six inches from the
bow at the handle. When 1t is well settled
In its proper position wrap the middle of it
Tor four or five inches very smoothly with
waxed silk. Mark the point which lies ex-
actly opposite the middle of the bow (ust
above the handle) by using thread of a
dlfferent color Always put the notch of
the arrow on this mark
To tighten (or "brace'O your bow, set the
lower end against the inside of your left
foot. grasp the handle firmly in your left
Eand, and with your right arm raised press
strongly with your wrist on the back of
the bow, while you push up the loop into
the notch with your extended fingers-see
illustration. 1t is quite @ trick, but you
will soon master it. To unstrain the bow
proceed In the same manner, but flip the
loop out of the notch with your thumb and
fingers.
The Arrows.
And now you are ready for the arrows.
If you can afford 1t, buy few; even one,
as model, will teach you more than
pages of description. If you make them
yourself, use hard clean, straight-grained
pine; though for very hard service ash or
hickory may be employed with advantage.
For bow more than five and half feet
long make the length IS inchss; for a short
er bow, % inches. With the tools already
described, mark the shaft down to about
the thickness of a lead pencil, uniform from
end to end, and absolutely straight. Cut
in the end smooth notch about thrse-siX-
teenths of an inch in depth (see illustration)
and be careful that 1t fits snugly on the
bowstring, but not SO tightly as to stick
and drag. The feathers-without which no
arrow will fly welfare three in number,
arranged as shown in the diagram. One
must be set exactly on the top side of the
| It,
bow Is held fiat, and this determines tho
position of the others. To put them on,
strip the plume from the quill-the tough
Skin" of the quill Will hold it together
and trim to about two and a half inches
long and half an inch wide. Then glue
them firmly in place by the skin" taking
care that there shall be no shaggy pro-
jections to scratch your hand when you