it is entirely due
to this same unbridled power that America has lost so many of her fine
game animals.

The bow is a far less destructive weapon, and to succeed at all in the
chase the bowman must be a double-read forester. The bow is silent and
it sends the arrow with exactly the same power that the bowman's arm
puts into it--no more, no less--so it is really his own power that
speeds the arrow. There is no question as to which hunter has the
right to the game or is responsible for the shot when the arrow is
there to tell. The gun stands for little skill, irresistible force
supplied from an outside source, overwhelming unfair odds, and sure
death to the victim. The bow, on the other hand, stands for all that
is clever and fine in woodcraft; so, no guns or fire-arms of any kind
are allowed in our boy scout camp.

The Indian's bow was short, because, though less efficient, it was
easier to carry than a long one. Yet it did not lack power. It is said
that the arrow head sometimes appeared on the far side of the buffalo
it was fired into, and there is a tradition that Wah-na-tah, a Sioux
chief, once shot his arrow through a cow buffalo and killed her calf
that was running at the other side.

But the long bow is more effective than the short one. The old English
bowmen, the best the world has ever seen, always shot with the long
bow.

The finest bows and arrows are those made by the professional makers,
but there is no reason why each boy should not make his own.

According to several authorities the best bow woods are mulberry,
osage-orange, sassafras, Southern cedar, black locust, {76} apple,
black walnut, slippery elm, ironwood, mountain ash, hickory,
California yew, and hemlock.

Take a perfectly sound, straight, well-seasoned stick five or six feet
long (your bow should be about as long as yourself); mark off a
five-inch space in the middle for the handle; leave this round and a
full inch thick; shave down the rest, flat on one side for the front
and round on the other for the back, until it is about one inch wide
and three fourths of an inch thick next the handle, tapering to about
one half that at the ends, which are then "nocked," nicked, or notched
as shown in Cut I. These notches are for the string, which is to be
put on early. Draw the bow now, flat side out, not more than the
proper distance, and note carefully which end bends the most; then
shave down the other side until it bends evenly. The middle sc