Part 5 (1/2)

_OF BRACING, OR STRINGING, AND NOCKING_

In the previous chapters such plain directions have been given concerning the various implements of archery as will enable each archer to provide himself with the best of the kind that his inclinations or means may lead him to adopt, and to enable him to avoid such as are in themselves radically bad, or likely to add to the difficulties he is sure to meet with before arriving at any great or satisfactory proficiency in the art. Having been thus enabled to form a choice as to his weapons, he must now be guided in their use; and, in the first place, there are a few minor matters that cannot be altogether pa.s.sed over in silence. The first of these is the _bracing_ or _stringing_ of a bow, which may be considered as the first preliminary operation to actual shooting. This is the act of _bending_ the bow, when unstrung, sufficiently to enable the archer to slip the upper _eye_ of the string into the _nock_ of the upper horn. To effect this, the usual method is to set the lower horn of the bow (its back being turned towards the archer) on the ground, against the inside of the right foot, this being turned a little inward so as to prevent the horn from slipping out of place. Then, the handle being firmly grasped with the right hand, and the lower or wrist-part of the left hand being rested upon the upper limb of the bow a few inches below the upper eye of the string, a strong steady pull must be applied with the right hand at the handle (the left hand and right foot forming the _points d'appui_) so that the bow may be bent, whilst the thumb and second joint of the first finger, or preferably the tips of the first and second fingers of the left hand, carry the eye of the string into the nock. Novices must be particularly careful that they do not get either of the fingers entangled between the string and the bow.

In stringing the bow, it is quite unimportant whether it be held in the right or left hand; but if the finger-tips be worn on the right hand, it is better to use this hand for the purpose of grasping the bow, rather than for helping the eye of the string into its place.

To unstring the bow, the action is the same as in the final position of stringing it, except that the eye of the string is slipped out of the horn.

To string and unstring a bow gracefully and without apparent effort is an affair rather of knack than of much strength or force, and is therefore only to be learnt with a certain amount of practice. The archer must keep, as far as possible, an upright position, as to crouch over the operation is ungainly, and interferes with the satisfactory application of the necessary amount of effort.

The bow being now strung, two things must be carefully noted: first, that the bend of the bow be neither too much nor too little; and secondly, that the string starts from both horns exactly at the centre of each--i.e. no atom either to the right or left, but dividing the bow precisely in half from end to end. If this latter caution be not observed the grain of the bow runs considerable risk of being unnaturally strained, and the bow itself of being pulled away and out of its proper shape, and sooner or later breaking in consequence. It is even possible that the correct cast itself may be more or less disadvantageously affected by any carelessness on this point. This is one of the many minutiae of archery, which is of more importance than may at first sight appear, and should always be attended to before the bow is allowed to discharge a single arrow. During the shooting, too, attention should be occasionally directed to the string, to observe whether the loop may not have slipped a little away, as it may sometimes unavoidably do. If a second eye has been added to the string in the place of the loop, the string will be much more easily adjusted, and then there will be no fear of its getting away during the shooting. As regards the first point--namely, the amount of bend in a bow when strung--it has been already stated that in a man's bow the distance of the inside of the handle from the string should scarcely ever be less than six inches. The advantages of having the bow low-strung are that the bow casts quicker and farther (owing to the greater length the arrow is acted upon by the string), and that the bow, and also the string, are less strained, and consequently in less danger of breaking; but to be balanced against these advantages is the fact that the danger of striking the armguard before the extreme point of the string's recoil (already shown to be fatal to accurate shooting) is greater, and the cast may be somewhat less steady.

It has been immemorially customary to ascertain the amount of the bend of the bow when strung, by placing the fist upright upon the inside of the handle (at the centre of the bow), at the same time raising up the thumb towards the string; if the string then just touches the extremity of the thumb the bracing is supposed to be tolerably correct. This is not, however, an infallible test, as the size of hands of different individuals varies considerably; but each archer can ascertain how far his own hand, placed in the above way, varies from the old-fas.h.i.+oned measure of six inches, known as a _fistmele_, and, bearing this constantly in mind, may ascertain the bracing of his bow as accurately as if his own fistmele were the exact six inches.

The _nocking_ of the arrow must now be considered. This is the application of the nock of the arrow to its proper place on the string.

Simple as this operation may at first sight appear, yet there is a right way and a wrong way of doing it; and as the wrong way leads to the injury and disfigurement of the bow, let the beginner acquire the right method at first, as follows:--

The bow being held somewhat downwards by the handle with the left hand, with the string upwards, let the arrow be placed with the right hand _over_ the string (not on any account _under_ the string, as this latter method of nocking is sure to lead sooner or later to the disfigurement of the belly of the bow, by numerous stabs inflicted upon it by the sharp point of the arrow) upon that part of the bow (close to the forefinger of the left hand) upon which it is to lie; the thumb of the left hand (not the forefinger) being then gently placed over it will serve to hold it perfectly under command, whilst the forefinger and thumb of the right hand take hold of the nock end of the arrow, and manipulate with perfect ease the application of the _nock_ to the proper _nocking-place_ on the string. Five minutes' practice will suffice to render this method of nocking easy and familiar. But if the archer be afraid of unsteadying his hold upon the handle of the bow by s.h.i.+fting his left thumb on to the arrow, as above described, let him hold the arrow with his right hand just above the feathers, and so apply the nock to the string without a.s.sistance from the left thumb. This method is, however, somewhat more awkward-looking.

The centre of the nocking-place should be exactly upon that point of the string which is opposite to the spot on the bow over which the arrow will pa.s.s when shot--i.e. the arrow when nocked must be precisely perpendicular to the string. If the arrow be nocked at a lower point, it will beat itself against the forefinger of the left hand, and thereby waste some of the energy that should be applied to its flight. On the other hand, if the arrow be nocked at a higher point, the drawing will be commenced from a point not contemplated in the manufacture of the bow when the compensated strength of the upper and lower limbs is arranged for a fulcrum not exactly central. Care must be taken that the nocking-part of the string exactly fits or fills the nock of the arrow.

The hold of the nock upon the string must be neither too tight nor too loose; if the first, the nock may, and probably will, be split; and if the second, the shaft is apt to slip whilst in the act of being drawn, and the nock will be broken, or the correct elevation and proper flight of the arrow will be lost.

A word of warning must be added for the young archer against attempting to alter the range of his arrow by varying the nocking-place. For the reasons above given, a worse system could not be adopted.

CHAPTER VII.

_OF ASCHAM'S FIVE POINTS, POSITION STANDING, ETC._

The various implements of archery having been now described, the proper use of these by the archer claims attention.

Roger Ascham stated in 1545 that 'fayre shootynge came of these thynges: of standynge, nockynge, drawynge, howldynge, and lowsynge'; and these his well-known _five points of archery_ have been followed by most other writers on the subject in this same order. He has set out so well 'all the discommodities whiche ill custome hath grafted in archers' that 'can neyther be quycklye poulled out, nor yet sone reckened of me, they be so manye,' that it will be excusable to quote them for the benefit of beginners, for their avoidance before they have been acquired.

'Some shooteth his head forwarde, as though he woulde byte the marke; an other stareth wyth hys eyes, as though they shoulde flye out; another winketh with one eye, and looketh with the other. Some make a face with writhing theyr mouthe and countenance so; another blereth out his tonge; another byteth his lyppes; another holdeth his neck a wrye. In drawynge some set suche a compa.s.se, as thoughe they woulde tourne about and blysse all the feelde; other heaue theyr hand nowe vp, nowe downe, that a man cannot decerne wherat they wolde shote; another waggeth the vpper ende of his bow one way, the neyther ende an other waye. An other wil stand poyntinge his shafte at the marke a good whyle, and by-and-by he wyll gyue a whip, and awaye, or a man wite. An other maketh suche a wrestling with his gere, as thoughe he were able to shoote no more as longe as he lyued. Another draweth softly to ye middes, and by-and-by it is gon, you cannot knowe howe.

'Another draweth his shafte lowe at the breaste, as thoughe he woulde shoote at a rouynge marke, and by-and-by he lifteth his arme vp p.r.i.c.ke heyghte. Another maketh a wrynching with hys back as though a manne pynched hym behynde.

'Another coureth downe, as though he shoulde shoote at crowes.

'Another setteth forwarde hys lefte legge, and draweth backe with head and showlders, as though he pouled at a rope, or els were afrayed of the marke. Another draweth his shafte well vntyll wythin ii fyngers of the head, and then stayeth to looke at hys marke, and that done pouleth it vp to the head, and lowseth; whiche waye, although summe excellent shoters do use, yet surely it is a faulte, and good mennes faultes are not to be followed.[2]

'Summe men drawe to farre, summe to shorte, summe to slowlye, summe to quickely, summe holde over longe, summe let go over sone.

'Summe sette theyr shafte on the grounde, and fetcheth him vpwarde.

Another poynteth vp towarde the skye, and so bryngeth hym downewardes.

'Ones I sawe a manne whyche used a brasar on his cheke, or elles he had scratched all the skynne of the one syde of his face with his drawynge hand.

'An other I sawe, whiche at everye shoote, after the loose, lyfteth vp his ryght legge so far that he was ever in ieopardye of faulyng.