Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-18

s IR n I G E L {:
Continued from page 10

the upper mock down with the left hand,
slid the eye of the string easily into
place. Now l pray thee to unstring
it again, handing it to the bowman.
The youth with an effort did SO, but
he was too slow in disengaging his fingers,
and the string sliding down with a snap
from the upper mock caught and pinched
them sorely against the stave. A roar
of laughter, like the clap of wave,
swept down the deck as the 1uck1ess bow
man danced and wrung his hand.
Serve thee well right, thou redeless
fool" growled the old bowyer. SO
fine bow is wasted in such hands. How
now, Samkin? l can teach you little of
your trade, trow. Here is a bow
dressed as it should be; but it would, as
you say, be the better for a white band
to mark the true hooking point in the
center of this red wrapping of silk. Leave
it and l will tend to it anon. And you,
Wat? A fresh head on yonder stale2
Lord, that a man should carry four
trades under one hat, and be bowyer,
fletcher, stringer and headmaker Four
mems work for old Bartholomew and
one mans pay!"
Nay, say no more about that"
growled an old wizened bowman, with a
brown-parchment skin and little beady
eyes. 1t is better in these days to
mend a bow than to bend one. You
who never looked a Frenchman in the
face are pricked off for ninepence a day,
and |, who have fought five stricken
fields, can earn but fourpence.
1t is in my mind, John of Tuxford,
that you have looked in the face more
pots of mead than Frenchmen," said the
old bowyer. g l am swinking from dawn
to night, while you are guzzling in an
a1e-stake. How now, youngster? Over
bowed? Put your bow in the tiller. 1t
draws at sixty pounds-not a penny
weight too much for man of your inches.
Lay more body to it, lad. and it will
come to you. If your bow be not stiff,
how can you hope for a twenty-score
flight Feathers? Aye, plenty and of
the best. Here, peacock at groat each.
Surely a dandy archer like you, Tom
Beverley, with gold earrings in your ears,
would have no feathering but peacocks?"
So the shaft fly straight, | care not
of the feather" said the bowman, tall
young Yorkshireman, counting out pen
MES on the palm of his horny hand.
Gray gooce-feathers are but farthing.
These on the left are a halfpenny, for
they are of the wild goose, and the sec
ond feather of a fenny goose is worth
more than the pinion of a tame one.
These in the brass tray are dropped
feathers, and a dropped feather is better
than a plucked one. Buy a score of
these, lad, and cut them saddle-backed
or swine-backed, the one for dead shaft
and the other for a smooth flier, and no
man in the company will swing a better
fetched culver over his shoulder"
1t CHANGED that the opinion of the
bowyer on this and other points differed
from that of Long Ned of Wellington, a
sr1rly straw-bearded Yorkshireman, who
had listened with sneering face to his
counsel. Now he broke in suddenly
upon the bowyer's talk. You would
do better to sell bows than to try to
teach others how to use them, said he
81 for indeed, Bartholomew, that head of
thine has no more sense within it than it
has hairs without If you had drawn
string for as many months as | have
years you would know that a straight