THE INDIAN'S LEE-METFORD.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 19, Issue 21, 17 March 1908, Page 2

THE INDIAN'S LEE-METFORD.

+ WHERE THE ARROW BEATS THE BULLET. So far as we know, the Cheyennes were the first tribe to recognise the bow and arrow as a killing tool, and the way in which the weapon is made is the same now as it was at the time when America had seen no white man. When the trees are bared of their foliage, and when the wood becomes hardened to withstand the blasts of winter, the Indian goes out into the forests and cuts off straight branches that average from a couple to three feet in length. These lengths are free from twigs and notches of any sort or kind, and rre tied up in bundles of fivc-and-twenty with raw hide or elk- sJ<in, and hung up over the fire in the wig-wam to dry. The covering in which they are tightly bound up prevents warping, and at the end of a few weeks they are taken down to be freed from the bark by mef.'is of Two grooved stones, between which the sticks are placed singly and rubbed until they are smooth wd round. After that they are cut into one length. This is a necessity. Every brave cuts his arrows a certain length to distinguish them from those of his fellow-warriors and carries about with him a piece of wood exactly the same length as his arrows, in order thr.t, should any dispute arise as to the possession of, say, the carcase of any animal killed in the chase he may be able to identify the weapon sticking in it as his own. Besides, the flight of an arrow is seriously affected by its length, and, unless a mv,n becomes used to a certain length and knows exactly what draw to give, his weapon is practically useless. If it happens, as it sometimes will, thr.t two men unwittingly possess arrows c»f the same length, there are usually private marks on the shafts known only to the owners, by which they can make good their claim. When the stick has been trimmed to his satisfaction, the Indian cuts a notch at one end for the reception of the bow-string. This cavity is made in such a way that the twine does not split the wood when pressed against it, and the end of the shaft is planed down to fit the shooter's thumb and finger. The next thing to be done is to make a deep incision in the stick at the end opposite to that in which the notch is cut. Into this slit he runs the flat neck of the arrowhead, usually about half an inch in length and the same width, and fits the cavity so accurately that only its saw-like edges are visible on either side of the shaft. The arrow-head itself is of stone or steel—more often the latter nowadays—and is fastened into its place securely by being wound round the neck with buffalo or deer sinews that have been soaked in water. In the case of war-arrows no such humane precautions are taken. The head is barbed and fixed in its socket loosely, so that when it enters a body and the shaft is withdrawn, it remains inside only to be extracted by gashing open the wound in a frightful manner. Fortunately but few tribes use prison on their arrows nowadays, although there still remain some who tip their barbs with a mixture of crushed ants that have been allowed to decay. No white man has yet been found who could draw to its full length evert the weakest Indian bow without a i'a'ir amount cj practice. The force with which the arrow strikes its mark may be imagined when it is remembered that while a bullet from a Colt will often fail to penetrate more than the hide of » buffalo, x shaft from the bow of an average Indian hunter at an equal distance ofl will go right through the animal and come out on the other side. A man's skull has been found fixed to a tree by in arrow which had been fired at the victim while he was tied up, and which had gone completely through the bones, embed 1 - ding itself so deeply in the wood as to sustain the weight of the head.