Part 105 (1/2)

”We use muskets too. But frankly they're often more trouble than they're worth. They're c.u.mbersome and inaccurate, and while you're reloading and priming your matchlock a Rajput archer will put half a dozen arrows through you. Infantry here normally is one-third matchlock men and two-thirds archers. If you're going to be any help to us, Captain, you'll need to learn to use a bow.”

Jadar stopped and turned to look at s.h.i.+rin. Her eyes were fluttering with fatigue. ”But I forget my manners. You must have some rest while we teach the _feringhi _how to fight. Perhaps the best thing would be to clear a tent for you at the rear of the _gulal bar_, near the workshops. And the English captain can stay there too,” Jadar laughed.

”So I can watch him practice his bow.” He glanced back at Hawksworth and his eyes froze on the pearl earring. ”I see you're a _khan_ now, as well as an amba.s.sador. Congratulations. If Arangbar can make you a _khan_, I can surely make you an archer.”

Jadar motioned to the eunuchs, who came forward and escorted s.h.i.+rin through the rear doorway of the compound. Hawksworth was watching her leave, praying for sleep himself, when Jadar's voice brought him back.

”Let me begin by explaining our Indian bow to you, Captain. I think it's probably quite different from the English bow you described.”

Jadar turned to Vasant Rao and motioned toward his quiver, a flat leather case hanging from a strap over one shoulder. It was covered with gold embossing and held both his bow and his arrows. ”You know we have a proverb: the sword is better than the katar, the spear is better than the sword; the arrow better than the spear. I've heard Muslims claim the bow and arrow were first given to Adam by the archangel Gabriel.” Jadar paused while Vasant Rao took out his bow and pa.s.sed it over. ”Now, the first thing you need to learn is how to string this.

It's more difficult than you might suppose, since a bow is reflexed, curved back around the opposite way when unstrung. It's stressed against the strung position to give it more weight on the pull.” Jadar examined the bow for a moment. ”In fact, you can tell how much use a bow has had by the way it's bent when unstrung. The original curve in this bow is almost gone, which means it's had a lot of use. Here hold it for a moment.”

Hawksworth grasped the bow in his hand. It was some four feet long, shaped in a wide curve with the ends bent back. The grip was velvet, with a gold-embossed design on the inner side.

”You say your English bows are made of wood, but I find that difficult to believe. This one is a composite, a mango-wood core with strips of buffalo horn glued over the outside. And the outer curve is lined with catgut to give it even more force. That's why this bow had to be sealed on the outside with leather. We use leather or lacquer to protect the glue from the dampness of the monsoon. The string, by the way, is a silk skein with a crisscross binding at the center.”

”How do you string it?”

Jadar grinned as he took back the bow. ”It's not easy. If you have to string a bow while riding, you hook one end between the stirrup and the instep of your foot and brace it backward against your knee. But usually we bend it over our back.” He took the string in his hand and slipped the bow around his waist. Then he flipped it against his back and pulled its free end over his left shoulder, inverting the curve and hooking the string in a single motion. It was done in an instant.

”There. But I've made it look easier than it is. You should practice.

And it would also be well if you could learn to string a bow and shoot from horseback.”

”Horseback!”

”All hors.e.m.e.n use a bow.”

”How can you possibly hit anything from horseback?”

”Practice. A good Rajput archer can shoot as well from horseback as standing. The Uzbeks shoot better.” As Jadar spoke he was extracting a heavy ring from inside his cloak. One side of the ring was a green emerald, flat and square and half an inch wide.

”This is a _zihgir_, a bow ring, to protect your thumb when you draw.

It also increases your range.”

He pushed the emerald ring over his thumb, notched an arrow into the string, and drew it back effortlessly, holding the thin bamboo arrow in position with a touch of his forefinger. The whole sequence had taken less than a second. Hawksworth found himself staring in admiration.

”By the way,” Jadar turned to Vasant Rao, ”show him how you shoot under a s.h.i.+eld.”

The Rajput turned to one of Jadar's guards, whose s.h.i.+eld was hanging loosely from a shoulder strap. He took the s.h.i.+eld and slipped it onto his wrist. It was circular, a quarter inch thick and about two feet in diameter, and curved like a wide bowl. The front was figured with a silver ensign and in the center were four steel nailheads, which secured the handgrips on the back.

”That s.h.i.+eld's one of the best. It's made with cured rhino

hide and toughened with lacquer. You hold it by those two straps attached inside, there in the center.” Jadar pointed as Vasant Rao held out the back of the s.h.i.+eld. ”Notice the straps are large and loose. So when you want to shoot, you can slip your hand through and slide the s.h.i.+eld up your wrist, like he's doing now. Then your hand extends out beyond the rim and you can hold the grip of the bow. But remember you'll have no protection when shooting, so you'll learn to shoot fast or you won't live long in a battle. Here, try the s.h.i.+eld.”

Hawksworth took the s.h.i.+eld and gripped the leather thongs on the back.

”It's light. How much protection does it give?”

”A buffalo-hide s.h.i.+eld is really only effective against arrows, but a rhino-hide s.h.i.+eld like this one will usually deflect musket fire. We'll find a rhino s.h.i.+eld for you somewhere.” Jadar rose to leave.

”Incidentally, after seeing how you handle that bow, I think I'd better a.s.sign you to the guards stationed back with the _zenana_. That should keep you well out of the battle. I don't want my first English amba.s.sador dead just yet.” He fingered his long pearl necklace and studied Hawksworth. ”You may be interested to know my reports say the Imperial army will reach us in two days. Tomorrow I plan to poison all the tanks and water wells within twenty _kos _east of here, forcing them to attack immediately. I hope you'll be ready.”