ATREATI SE

ONTURKI SH
ANDOTHER
ORI ENTAL
BOWS
OF MEDI EVAL
ANDLATER
TI MES
THETURKI SH
BOW. CONSTRUCTI ONAND
DI MENSI ONS
PAGE
,
3
THEBOW-STRI NG , .
6
THEARROW .
7
THEMETHOD
OF STRI NGI NGATURKI SH, PERSI AN
OR
I NDI AN
BOW
9
THEHORNGROOVE ,
I I
THETHUMB-RI NG ,
12
COMPOSI TE
BOWSOF VARI OUS ORI ENTAL NATI ONS ,
16
THERANGEOF THE
TURKI SHBOW. ,
19
f .
T
,;

9, ~
.
.
. .
I
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I

i
t
\

i,
i
1
A
8

7
i'
fy
r
t
r ~

~
1
,
'

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.
. .
" . . .
a
THETURKI SHBOW-CONSTRUCTI ONANDDI MENSI ONS
LENGTH of bow, measur ed, bef or e i t i s st r ung, f r om end
t o end
al ong i t s
out er cur ve wi t h
a
t ape, 3 f t . 9 i n.

(AAAAAf i g. I ,
opposi t e page. )
Span of bow,
measur ed
bet ween
i t s ends when st r ung, 3 f t . 2 i n.
(BBf i g. I . )
Lengt h of bow-st r i ng, z f t . i i i n.
Gr eat est wi dt h of each ar mof bow, i $ i n.
Thi ckness of each ar m, at a di st ance of 6 i n. f r omt he cent r e of t he handl e
of t he bow, l i n. '
Ci r cumf er ence of each ar m, at a di st ance of 6 i n. f r omt he cent r e of t he
handl e of t he bow, 3 i n .
(The ar ms of t he Per si an, I ndi an, and Chi nese composi t e bows have a wi dt h
of f r om I 2 t o z i n. ; and t hough t he span of t hese bows, when st r ung, i s f r om
4 t o
5 f t . and mor e, t hey do not shoot a l i ght ar r ow near l y so f ar as t he
shor t er , nar r ower , and i n pr opor t i on f ar st r onger and mor e el ast i c Tur ki sh
ones. )
The st r engt h of t he bow, or t he wei ght t hat
woul d be r equi r ed on t he cent r e
of t he
bow-st r i ng t o pul l i t down f r omt he bowt o
t he f ul l l engt h of t he ar r ow,
i s
i 18 l bs .
(Thi s i s wi t hout t aki ng
i nt o
account t he
addi t i onal t wo or t hr ee
i nches
t he
poi nt of t he ar r ow shoul d be dr awn wi t hi n t he
bowal ong t he hor n
gr oove
. )
Wei ght of bow,
avoi r dupoi s, . 12-1
oz
.
Though I
have
car ef ul l y exami ned over f i f t y
of t hese
smal l Tur ki sh bows,
I have never seen one t hat exceeded I 4
i n. i n wi dt h
at
i t s
wi dest
par t ,
or
i f
measur ed wi t h a t ape al ong i t s out er cur ve, when unst r ung (AAAAA, f i g. I ) ,
was
over 3
f t . 10
i n. i n l engt h.

Bows
t hat
ar e 4
or
5 i n. l onger t han t he di men-
si ons her e gi ven ar e i nvar i abl y of Per si an or I ndi an manuf act ur e, and ar e ver y
i nf er i or i n t he el ast i ci t y t hat i s r equi si t e f or l ong-di st ance shoot i ng, t hough i n
decor at i on and const r uct i on t hey of t en cl osel y r esembl e Tur ki sh bows.
1 I n t he ver y power f ul bows, such as t he one shown i n Fi g. 15, p. 21, t he t hi ckness at t hese par t s i s
f r omj t o ; i n.
4
THETURKI SH
BOW-I TS CONSTRUCTI ON
Thebowi s
chi ef l y cons t r uct ed of ver y f l exi bl e hor n and s i new

Thes e
mat er i al s wer e s of t ened by heat and wat er and t hen l ongi t udi nal l y gl ued t o a
s l i ght l at h of wood,
var yi ng f r om
s
t o
4
i n. i n t hi cknes s ( except
wher e
i t f or med
t hehandl eof t hebow) ,
and f r om1
t o i
i n.
i n
wi dt h.
Thi s s t r i p of wood f or med t he cor e or moul d of t he bow, and ext ended at
each of i t s ends f or 3 i n. beyond t he s t r i ps of hor n and s i newt hat wer e
f i xed
on i t s oppos i t es i des , and whi ch s l i ght l y over l apped i t .

( Fi g. 2, p.
5. )

The
pr oj ect i ng ends of t he wooden s t r i p wer e enl ar ged s o as t o f or m t he s ol i d
ext r emi t i es of t he bow i n whi ch t he nocks f or t he bow-s t r i ng wer e cut .
( CCf i g. 3, p. 6. )
The t wo cur ved hor n s t r i ps , whi ch i n par t compr i s ed t he ar ms of t hebow
( on i t s i ns i de f ace when i t was bent ) , wer ecut f r omt he hor n of a buf f al o or an
ant el ope, and aver ageabout
4
i n. i n t hi cknes s .
The t hi cker
ends of t hes e pi eces meet at t he mi ddl e of t he
handl e of
t he bowand t hei r t aper ed ends ext end
t o
wi t hi n 3 i n. of i t s wooden poi nt s .
( EEf i g. 3, p.
6. )
The s i newt hat r epr es ent s t he back of
t he bow
i s f r om
t he
gr eat neck
t endon of an
ox or s t ag. Thi s was pr obabl y s hr edded l ongi t udi nal l y, and, af t er
bei ng s oaked i n
el as t i c gl ue, compr es s ed i nt o a l ong f l at s t r i p about
4
i n.
t hi ck,
whi ch was f i r s t moul ded i n a pl i abl e s t at e t o t he wooden cor e and
t hen gl ued t o i t . I t t hus f or med t he back of t he bowwhen i t was bent .
( DD
Df i g. 3, p. 6. )
Thebar k
of t he cher r y-t r ee, or t hi n l eat her or s ki n, was next gl ued over
t he
s i new t o pr es er ve i t f r om i nj ur y and damp. Thehor n par t s , or i nner f ace
of t he bow
when i t was s t r ung, wer e not cover ed wi t h bar k or s ki n, a f eat ur e of
t he Tur ki s h bowt hat , t oget her wi t h i t s s mal l s i z e, di s t i ngui s hes i t f r om t he
bows of I ndi a and ot her Or i ent al count r i es . '
I n t hebes t Tur ki s h bows t hi s out er coat i ng of bar k, l eat her ,
or
s ki n,
was
l acquer ed a br i l l i ant cr i ms on and el abor at el y decor at ed wi t h gol d t r acer y, t he
dat e of t he bowbei ng
al ways pl aced at one of i t s ends and t he name of i t s
maker
at t he ot her .
The hor n and s i new( t hemat er i al s whi ch r eal l y f or m t he bowand gi vei t
i t s power and
el as t i ci t y) may be l i kened t o a t ube, t he s mal l cent r eof whi chi s
f i l l ed
wi t h wood.

( Sect i ons , f i g. 2, oppos i t e page. )
' Thought hehor n s t r i ps whi chf or m t he bel l y, or i nner s ur f ace when i t i s s t r ung, of aChi nes eor a
Tar t ar bow, ar enei t her cover ed nor decor at ed, t he gr eat s i z e of t hes e weapons eas i l y di s t i ngui s hes t hem
f r omt hos eof Tur ki s hmanuf act ur e.

( Fi g.
13,
p. 16. )
THETURKISHBOW-ITS
CONSTRUCTION
. . . .

.

. . . . . . A
'. . . . . .
.

. . . .

B
A
_ . B
FIG. 2. -SECTIONSOFATURKISHBow.
Hal f f ul l si ze .
I .

Sect i on of bowat 6 i n. f romone of i t s ends .
5
II .

Sect i on of bowat hal f -way bet ween t he cent re of
i t s handl e and one
of i t s ends .
III . Sect i on of bowat t he cent re of i t s handl e,
whi ch i s here t hi ckl y
covered
wi t h si new.
IV.
Longi t udi nal sect i on of bowat hal f -way bet ween t he
cent re of i t s
handl e and one of
i t s ends .
Li ght shadi ng, AAAA.

The compressed
si newf ormi ng t he back of
t he bowwhen i t i s st rung.
Dark shadi ng,
BBBB.

The horn f ormi ng t he i nner
surf ace
of
t he bow
when i t i s
st rung.
Li ned cent res .

The t hi n l at h of wood
t o whi ch t he horn and si newpart s
of t he bow
are moul ded and f i xed.
The t hi n wooden
l at h, i n pl aces onl y, -! i n. t hi ck,
best owed nost rengt h on
t he bow, as i t was
merel y i t s heart or core t o
whi ch t he t wo curved st ri ps of
horn and t he l ong band of si new
were gl ued.

( Fi g. 3 , p.
6. )
As i t woul d have been
very di f f i cul t and t edi ous
t o shape sof ragi l e al at h
i n one l engt h t osui t t he
out l i ne of t he f i ni shed bow,
t hi s l at h was al ways made
i n t hree pi eces,
whi ch were f i t t ed t oget her at t hei r
j oi nt s and t hen secured wi t h
gl ue.
( Fi g. 3 . )
The mi ddl e pi ece
f ormed t he core of t he handl e
of t he bowand t he ot her
pi eces t he core of i t s l i mbs .

( Fi g.
3 . )
The ext remi t i es of
t he t woout er pi eces of t he wooden
core were enl arged
t o
f orm t he st rong
proj ect i ng poi nt s of t he bowi n whi ch t he
nocks f or t he
bow-st ri ng
were cut .

( CCf i g. 3 . )
6

THETURKISH
BOW-ITSCONSTRUCTION
s
e
THEBOW- S7RING
E

E
FIG. 3
. -LONGITUDINAL PLANSOF THEPARTSOF A TURKISH
Bow.
AAA.

The t hr ee pi eces of t hi n
wood t hat f or med t he
cor e of t he bow.
Sur f ace vi ew.

(The
t woout er l engt hs of t he cor e wer e
st eamed i nt oa cur ve as
shown i n CCC. )
BBB.

The
pi eces gl ued t oget her .

Sur f ace vi ew.
CCC.

Thepi eces gl uedt oget her
.

Si de vi ew.
DDD.

The st r i p of
si newt hat was gl ued t o t he cor e,
and whi ch f or med
t he back or out er sur f ace of t he bowwhen i t
was r ever sed and st r ung.
EE.

The t wost r i ps of nat ur al l y cur ved
hor n t hat wer e gl ued t ot he cor e,
and whi ch
f or med t he bel l y or i nner sur f ace of t he
bowwhen i t was r ever sed
and st r ung.
TILEmai n par t of t he bow-st r i ng was composed of a
skei n of about si xt y
l engt hs of st r ong si l k and was i ngeni ousl y knot t ed at each
of i t s ends t o a
separ at e l oop, f or med of har d and cl osel y t wi st ed
si new. Al oop and i t s knot
i s shown i n f i g. 4 , opposi t e page.
These l oops coul d not f r ay or cut , as woul doccur i f t hey
wer e made of si l k,
and t hey f i t i nt ot he nocks of t he bow. The l oops r est , when t he
bowi s st r ung,
upon smal l i vor y br i dges (f i g. 1, p. 2) whi ch ar e hol l owed out t o
r ecei ve t hem,
and whi ch, i n t hi s way, assi st t o r et ai n t he bow-st r i ng i n i t s pl ace.
Though
t hese l i t t l e br i dges ar e not al ways pr esent
on
Tur ki sh bows, t hey ar e
i nvar i abl y
THETURKISHBOW-ITSBOWSTRING
7
t o be f ound on t hose of Per si an, Indi an or Chi nese const r uct i on, t hei r gr eat er
l engt h r equi r i ng t he assi st ance of br i dges t o keep t hei r bow-st r i ngs i n a cor r ect
posi t i on
.
I .

Al oop and i t s knot as f i r st
f or med
on one end of t he skei n of t he
bow-st r i ng.
11. The l oop dr awn up, but not
t i ght ened.
I11.

The l oop dr awn up t i ght and
i t s l oose ends secur ed.
As shown i n 111, t he pr oj ect i ng
ends of t he l engt h of
si new whi ch
f or ms t he l oop ar e cut
of f t o
wi t hi n
a
t hi r d of an i nch of t he knot
.

They ar e
si nged
at t hei r ext r emi t i es, so as
t o f or m
smal l bur r s whi ch pr event
t he shor t
l engt h of st r ong si l k, whi ch
l ashes t hem
FIG. 4. -ONE OF THELOOPSOF HARDAND

t oget her , f r omsl i ppi ng of f.
CLOSELYTWISTEDSINEWWHICHAREKNOT.

The ends of t hi s l ast
smal l l ashi ng
TEDTOEACHENDOF THEMIDDLEPART
ar e

l aced beneat h t he
wr appi ng of si l k
ORSKEINOFATURKISHBOW-STRING.

p
Scal Scal e : Hal f f ul l si ze.

t o be seen on t he skei n
near t he
knot
i n 111 .
In t hi s way t he knot of t he l oop i s r i gi dl y secur ed
agai nst anychance
of
dr awi ng when t he bowi s i n use.
(The bow-st r i ngs of al l Or i ent al bows, wi t h
t he except i on of t he
Tar t ar and
Chi nese, wer e made as above descr i bed. )
THEARROW
LENGTHof ar r ow, 2
5-21 i n.
t
o
2
5-4a i n.
Wei ght of ar r ow, avoi r dupoi s, 7 dr s. ,
or equal t o t he wei ght of
t wo shi l l i ngs
and a si xpence
.
The bal ance of t he ar r ow
i s at
12
i n . f r omt he end of i t s
nock.
Shape of ar r ow, ` bar r el l ed, '
and much t aper ed f r omi t s bal anci ng-poi nt
t o
i t s ends : i t s shar p
i vor y poi nt bei ng onl y
s
i n. i n di amet er
(wher e i t i s f i t t ed t o
t he shaf t ) and
4
i n. i n l engt h .
8

THE
TURKISHBOW-ITSARROW
The par t of t he shaf t t o whi ch t he f eat her s ar e
at t ached
i s
3/ 16 i n .
i n di amet er , and t he cent r e of t he shaf t 1 s i n.
Though I
have
car ef ul l y measur ed and wei ghed about
t wo hundr ed
ei ght eent h-cent ur y Tur ki sh
f l i ght ar r ows,
I have scar ce f ound a
hal f -dozen t hat
wer e
s
i n . mor e or l ess t han f r om 25 i n . t o
25t '
i n . i n l engt h, or t hat
2

4
var i ed by even as l i t t l e as I dr . f r om 7 dr . i
n
wei ght .

I n

r egar d

t o

t hei r
bal anci ng-poi nt t hese ar r ows ar e equal l y exact , as t hi s par t i s i nvar i abl y f r om
I I2- i n . t o 122 i n. f r omt he nock.
It i s evi dent t hat t he ol d Tur ki sh f l i ght ar r ow was made t o a st andar d
pat t er n t hat exper i enceshowed was t he best f or l ong-di st ance shoot i ng.
The l i ght and el egant l y shaped wooden nock of an ol d Tur ki sh ar r ow
( f i g. 5) i s qui t e unl i ke t hecl umsy hor n
nock of t he moder n Eur opean one
.
Thel at t er cannot wi t hst and t her ecoi l of t he Tur ki sh
bow
and soon spl i t s
apar t , t hough i n t he t housands of t i mes I have di schar ged
Tur ki sh
ar r ows
I have never known one
t o
spl i t at t he nock.
It wi l l be not i ced
t hat
t he shape of t he
Tur ki sh nock-wi t h i t s
nar r ow
ent r ance t hat spr i ngs apar t t o
admi t t he bow-st r i ng and t hen cl oses agai n-
enabl ed an ar cher , even on hor se-back,
t o car r y an ar r ow r eady f or use on t he
st r i ng of hi s bow.
A. The but t end of t he ar r ow,
wi t h t he pr oj ect i ng wooden hal ves of
t he nock shaped and r eady t o be gl ued
t o t heshaf t .
B. Thehal ves of t he nock gl ued t o
t he shaf t .
FIG
.
j . -THE
CONSTRUCTIONOF THENOCKOF
A
TURKISH
ARROW.

C, D. The f eat her s gl ued t o t he
Scal e: Hal f f ul l
si ze.

shaf t .
Thef eat her s
( ; ) of a Tur ki sh
f l i ght
ar r ow, t hough st i f f , ar eas t hi n as paper , and ar e
21
i n .
l ongand
4
i n . hi gh near
t he nock.

They wer e
of t en madeof par chment . '
The dar k
band of shadi ng t o be seen r ound t he nock
i n
C and Di s a
wr appi ng of f i ne
t hr ead-l i ke si new. Thi s si new, af t er bei ngsoaked i n hot gl ue,
was
wound t o a t hi ckness of about 1/ 32 i n . al l over t he nock
and i t t hus
hel d t he
hal ves of t hel at t er
secur el y
t o
t he shaf t
.
When dr y, t he
wr appi ngof si newwas cut out wher ei t cr ossed t he openi ng
f or t he bow-st r i ng. It never t hel ess gave
a gr eat i ncr ease of st r engt h t o t he
t hi n pr oj ect i ng hal ves
of t he nock,
as i t
cover ed t hem on t hei r out er sur f aces
A
B
' Par chment f eat her i ng i ncr eases t he r ange of a f l i ght ar r owby at l east t hi r t y yar ds .

Ther eason of
t hi s i s, t hat par chment i s so t hi n and smoot ht hat i t of f er s ver y sl i ght f r i ct i onal r esi st ance t o t heai r , whi l st
at t hesamet i mei t i s much
har der , as wel l as muchmor eunyi el di ng, t han f eat her .
ORI ENTAL
BOWS-STRI NGI NG
9
wi t h a sheat hi ng
t hat was ver y t ough and el ast i c , and as smoot h as gl ass
t o t he
t ouc h.

Thi s wr appi ng was,
of c our se, appl i ed bef or e t he f eat her s wer e gl ued on.
So c ar ef ul wer e t he Tur ks i n t he c onst r uc t i on of t hese ar r ows, t hat
even
t he hal ves of t hei r noc ks wer e made f r omwood wi t h a nat ur al c ur ve t o
sui t
t he f i ni shed out l i ne.

I t i s possi bl e, of c our se, t hey woul d not ot her wi se
have
wi t hst ood t he vi ol ent shoc k of t he r el eased bow-st r i ng.

I t may be sai d
t hat
ever y i nc h i n l engt h of a Tur ki sh bow or ar r ow was named i n a manner
t hat
c oul d be r ec ogni sed or r ef er r ed t o.

I n a gener al
way
t he par t s of an ar r ow
wer e
known as f ol l ows . -
THEMETHOD
OF STRI NGI NGA TURKI SH, PERSI ANOR
I NDI ANBOW
I N t hese days
no per son I
have ever
hear d
of
c an st r i ng a st r ong Tur ki sh
bow-di mi nut i ve as t hi s weapon i s-wi t hout muc h per sonal assi st anc e, or
el se
by
mec hani c al means, yet f or mer l y t he Tur ki sh, ar c her unai ded c oul d do so
wi t h ease.
Thi s he ac hi eved by a c ombi nat i on of l eg and
manual power .
( Fi gs . 6 and
7 ,
p. 10. )
Wi t h t he l onger r ef l ex bows, t he Chi nese f or i nst anc e, t hi s oper at i on
i s
c ompar at i vel y easy, as t he hand c an r eac h one end of t he bow and dr aw i t
i nwar ds
f or t he l oop of
t he
bow-st r i ng t o be sl i pped i nt o t he noc k.
The Tur ki sh bow,
bei ng so
shor t ,
nec essi t at es
a
gr eat ef f or t of st r engt h on
t he par t of t he ar c her t o bend i t bet ween hi s l egs and, at
t he same t i me, st oop
down t o f i t t he bow-st r i ng.

Fr omc onst ant pr ac t i c e,
t he Tur k of f or mer days
knew
exac t l y how and when t o appl y t he musc ul ar f or c e
of
l eg
and ar m
nec essar y t o st r i ng hi s bow-a per f or manc e t hat no
moder n ar c her c oul d
ac c ompl i sh
wi t h a bowof any st r engt h.
Leg
and manual f or c e c ombi ned i s t he onl y possi bl e met hod
of st r i ngi ng
a
st r ong r ef l ex bow, unl ess mec hani c al power i s ut i l i sed : i t was t he
her edi t ar y
c ust om
of t he Or i ent al s .

I n t he oper at i on, t her e i s al ways t he r i sk of
t wi st i ng
t he
l i mbs
of t he bow,
f r oma l ac k of t he gr eat st r engt h of wr i st
r equi r ed t o
hol d t hemst r ai ght dur i ng t he st r i ngi ng.

I f
t he l i mbs of t he bow ar e
gi ven
The
enl ar ged c ent r e . The st omac h.
Fr omt he c ent r e t o t he poi nt . . The t r owser .
Fr omt he c ent r e t o t he noc k
. . The nec k.
10
ORI ENTAL BOWS-STRI NGI NG
t he
sl i ght est l at er al t wi st as t hey ar e bei ng bent , t he hor n par t s
ar e
cer t ai n t o
spl i nt er ,
and t he bowi s t hen usel ess and damagedbeyond r epai r
. '
The
di f f i cul t y of r ever si ng and st r i ngi ng a ver y st i f f bowwi t h such a r ef l ex
cur ve t hat i t s ends
near l y meet bef or e i t i s bent may be i magi ned.
De Busbecq t el l s
us t hat some of t he Tur ki sh bows wer e so st r ong t hat i f
a coi n
was pl aced under t he bow-st r i ng at one end of t he bow, as i t
was
bei ng
st r ung, no
one
but
a t r ai ned ar cher coul d bend t he bow suf f i ci ent l y t o set f r ee
t he coi n so t hat i t f el l t o t he
gr ound.
Fi g. 6 shows an Or i ent al r ef l ex bow
bei ng gr adual l y r ever sed pr epar at or y
t o f i t t i ng on
i t s bow-st r i ng.
Fi g. 7
shows a si mi l ar bow when r ever sed
suf f i ci ent l y t o f i t i t s bow-st r i ng.
Though
t hi s i l l ust r at i on i s f r oman
anci ent Gr eek vase, i t wi l l be not i ced
t hat i n i t t he
power of t he l eg and ar mi s appl i ed i n pr eci sel y t he
same
way
as
i n t he mor e moder n
exampl e gi ven.
t
The
onl y saf e met hod f or a moder n ar cher t o
adopt i n or der -t o st r i ng a power f ul r ef l ex bow i s
t o use
st r ong upr i ght pegs, t he si z e of t ent pegs,
i nser t ed i n smoot h gr ound or i n hol es i n a boar d, t he
bow
r est i ng
dur i ng t he pr ocess f l at al ong t he gr ound or
boar d.

I nser t one peg agai nst t he i nner f ace of
t he handl e of t he
bow andt hen pul l t he ends of t he
bow back by degr ees, pl aci ng a peg behi nd each. of i t s
ends as you
do so t o r et ai n t hemi n t hei r acqui r ed
posi t i ons .

The out er pegs can be shi f t ed t owar ds you as
t he bow
i s gr adual l y bent , f i r st at i t s one end and t hen at
i t s ot her one.

Fi nal l y, when t he bowi s f ul l y
bent t he
bow-st r i ng can be f i t t ed acr oss i t f r omnock t o
nock and t he pegs r emoved.

To unst r i ng t he bow,
gr asp i t s
ext r emi t i es and, wi t h t he pal ms of t he
hands upper most , bend i t sl i ght l y acr oss t he knee, at t he
same t i me
shi f t i ng wi t h t he t humb one of t he l oops of t he
bow-st r i ng out of i t s nock.
THEHORNGROOVE
THEt hi n horn groove whi ch t he Turk wore on t he t humb of hi s
l ef t hand when
f l i ght - shoot i ng i s shown i n f i g. 8.
Thi s i ngeni ous cont ri vance enabl ed t he archer t o draw
t he poi nt of hi s
arrow f rom2 t o 3 i n. wi t hi n t he i nner surf ace of hi s bent bow
. He was t hus
abl e t o shoot a short and l i ght arrow, t hat woul d f l y much f art her
t han t he con
si derabl y l onger and heavi er one he woul d have had t o use i f
he had shot i n t he
ordi nary manner wi t hout t he grooved horn.
The groove i n t he horn gui des t he arrowi n saf et y
past t he- si de of t he bow,
when t he bow- st ri ng i s rel eased by t he archer .
The Turk, i n f act , shot a short and l i ght arrow f roma
very powerf ul bow,
whi ch he bent t o t he same ext ent as i f he used an arrow 3 i n.
l onger, wi t h
i t s
proport i onat el y i ncreased si z e, wei ght ,
and
f ri ct i onal surf ace t o ret ard i t s f l i ght .
I n t he f ormer case i t wi l l easi l y be
underst ood t hat a much l onger range
coul d be
achi eved t han i n t he l at t er.
Of t hi s i ncrease i n l engt h of f l i ght
conf erred by
t he use of t he grooved horn,
t he f ol l owi ng
experi ment i s concl usi ve
evi dence.
I l at el y
shot f roma Turki sh bow
t wel ve arrows,
each arrow bei ng t hree-
quart ers of
an ounce i n wei ght and
28 i n. i
n l engt h.
These
t wel ve arrows were i ndi vi dual l y
drawn t o
t he head and t he di st ance t hey
reached
averaged 275yards .
I t hen
reduced t he same arrows t o a
l engt h of
25 i n. each, and t o a wei ght
of hal f an ounce
each.
They were
now shot f romt he same bow, over t he same range and
under t he same
condi t i ons of
weat her, but
t hei r poi nt s were drawn 2
2
i n.
wi t hi n t he bow
al ong a grooved horn. The di st ance t hey t hen t ravel l ed
averaged 36o
yards .
FI G. 8. - THEHORNGROOVE.
The bowi s shown f ul l y bent and ready
f or
rel ease, t he poi nt of t he arrow bei ng drawn
back f or acoupl e of i nches i nsi de t he
bow.
12
ORIENTAL
BOWS-THETHUMB-RING
TheTur k, as was
t he cust omof Or i ent al s,
shot hi s ar r ow f r om
t he r i ght -
hand si de of hi s bow,
as shown i n f i g . 8 , p. 1 1. 1
The bowi s her e
r epr esent ed as f ul l y bent ,
t he poi nt of t he ar r ow
bei ng
dr awn back al ong t he
gr ooveof t he hor n f or a
coupl e of i nches
wi t hi n t he bow.
Thehor n i s at t ached
t o t he t humb by a smal l
l eat her n col l ar .
Ashor t pl ai t ed cor d
of sof t si l k i s suspended
f r omt he
f or e-end of t he
hor n and i s gr i pped
bet ween t he f i nger s of t he ar cher
as he hol ds
t he bow.
Thi s cor d
enabl es t he ar cher t o
keep t he hor n i n a
l evel posi t i on on hi s
hand.

It
i s
f i xed t o a smal l st r i p of l eat her
whi chi s gl ued
beneat h t he hor n.
The hor n i s usual l y of t or t oi seshel l ,
ver y hi ghl y pol i shed.

It i s f r om
5 t o 6 i n. l ong,
1
i n.
wi de,
4
i n. deep i nsi de and

i n. t hi ck.
It i s sl i ght l y sl oped f r omi t s cent r e of l engt h
t o each of i t s
ends, so t hat
when t he ar r owi s pr oj ect ed i t t ouches t he har d
and smoot h sur f ace
of t he hor n
ver y l i ght l y, and wi t h, t her ef or e, t he l east
possi bl e f r i ct i on t o
r et ar d i t s f l i ght .
As t he hor n gr oove i s onl y one-si xt eent h
of an i nch t hi ck,
t he ar r ow, as i t
i s dr awn back or shot f or war d, may
be sai d t o f i t cl ose agai nst
t he si de of t he
bow.
THETHUMB-RING
.
THETur k pul l ed hi s bow-st r i ng
wi t h a r i ng of i vor y, or of
ot her har d
mat er i al ,
f i t t ed on hi s r i ght t humb
.

( Fi g g, p. 13. ) It s mani pul at i on
i s shown on p.
14.
It mi ght be supposed
t hat t he st r ai n of t he
bow-st r i ng on t he i vor y
r i ng
woul d cause
t he edges of t he l at t er t o i nj ur e t he f l esh
and si news of t he t humb
;
t hi s i s not ,
however , t he case i n t he l east .
I f i nd
I can bend a st r ong bow much easi er ,
and dr aw i t a
gr eat deal
f ar t her , wi t h t he Tur ki sh t humb-r i ng
t han I can wi t h t he
or di nar y Eur opean
f i nger -gr i p.
The r el ease
t o
t he
bow-st r i ng whi ch i s best owed
by t he smal l and
smoot h
poi nt
[ i n Tur ki sh " l i p " ]
of t he t humb-r i ng, i s as qui ck and cl ean
as t he snap
of
a gunl ock when a t r i gger i s
pul l ed, and ver y di f f er ent i n
f eel i ng and
ef f ect
f r omt he compar at i vel y sl owand dr aggi ng act i on t hat occur s
when t he
r el ease
t akes pl ace i n t he Eur opean way f r omt he
l eat her -cover ed t i ps of t hr ee
f i nger s .
1 To di schar get hear r owf r omt hel ef t -hand
si de of t hebow, as i s t hecust omi n
al l Eur opean
ar cher y,
t he
l eat her r i ng andt hegr oovedhor n wi l l
havet o bef i t t ed t o t hef i r st j oi nt of t he f or ef i nger
.
Ther ange of a f l i ght ar r owwhen shot f r oma bowby means of a
t humb-
r i ng i s al ways muchbeyond t hat of an ar r owshot wi t h t he t hr ee f i nger s
i n t he
usual manner .
Wi t ht he t humb- r i ng t he f eat her s of an ar r ow can be pl aced cl ose
t o i t s
nock, as t he usual space of about i - 1 i n. need not be l ef t on t he shaf t at
t he
but t - end l est t he f i nger s hol di ng t he bow- st r i ng shoul d cr ush t he f eat her s
of
t he ar r ow- a pr ecaut i on t hat i s necessar y i n al l Eur opean ar cher y.
Ther e i s no doubt t hat t he cl oser t o t he nock t he f eat her s
of
an
ar r ow can
be
f i xed, t he f ar t her and st eadi er i t wi l l t r avel .
The
handl e of an Engl i shbow, or of any ot her bowt hat i s l oosed
wi t h t he
f i nger s, i s pl aced
bel ow
i t s cent r e so t hat t he ar r owcan
be
f i t t ed
t o t he mi ddl e
of t he bow- st r i ng, a- poi nt
whi ch i s j ust above t he
hand of t he ar cher as he
gr asps t he bow.
Abowhel d bel owi t s cent r e can never bepul l ed r eal l y
t r ue,
t he l i mbbel ow
t he handl e bei ng shor t er t han t he one
above
i t .
I n a Tur ki sh bowt he handl e i s i n i t s exact cent r e of l engt h, and t he pr o-
j ect i ng poi nt , or l i p, of t he t humb- r i ng engages t hebow- st r i ng cl ose t o i t s cent r e.
For t hese r easons t he bow i s equal l y st r ai ned, each
of i t s l i mbs doi ng i t s pr oper shar e of wor k i n dr i vi ng t he
ar r ow, an advant age t hat i s ver y not i ceabl e i n f l i ght - shoot i ng,
and woul d pr obabl y al so be at t he t ar get .

I n t he met hod of
l oosi ng
used
i n moder n t i mes t he bow- st r i ng l i es acr oss t he
t hr ee mi ddl e
f i nger s, i t s out l i ne, wher e t he ar r ow i s nocked
on
t he
st r i ng, t aki ng t he f or mof t wo angl es connect ed by
a st r ai ght
l i ne
2
t o 3 i n. i n l engt h.
Wi t h t he
t humb- r i ng t he bow- st r i ng i s dr awn back
t o
one shar p
angl e cl ose
t o
t he apex of whi ch t he
nock of
t he ar r ow
i s f i t t ed, so t hat ever y par t of t he st r i ng i s ut i l i sed
i n dr i vi ng t he ar r ow.

( Fi g
.
12,
p.
I 4. )
The ease wi t h whi ch a st r ong
bow
can be dr awn wi t h
t he t humb- r i ng, and t he ent i r e absence of any unpl easant
FI G. URK
I SH
THUMB- RI NG.

st r ai n on t he t humb, i s r emar kabl e.

Thi s pr oves how ef f ec-
( scal e, hal f f ul l

t i ve t he Or i ent al st yl e of l oosi ng a bow- st r i ng was, compar ed
si ze. )

wi t h t he onepr act i sed by Eur opean ar cher s .
The r i ng was usual l y of i vor y, i t s edges bei ng r ound and smoot h
wher e
t hey camei n cont act wi t h t he ski n of t he t humb.
Acover i ng of sof t l eat her was somet i mes gl ued al l over t he sl opi ng out er
sur f ace of t he pr oj ect i ng l i p of t he r i ng.
The l eat her assi st ed
t he ar cher
t o hol d t he r i ng f i r ml y wi t h hi s f or ef i nger ,
so t hat i t
coul d not sl i p under t he st r ai n of pul l i ng back t he bow- st r i ng.

The
ORI ENTAL
BOWS - THE THUMB- RI NG 13
1 4

ORIENTALBOWS-THETHUMB-RING
pr oj ect i ng l i p of
t he r i ng best owed t he l ever age whi ch enabl ed
t he ar cher t o
dr awt he
bow-st r i ng of a power f ul bow.
Thumb-r i ngs of
si l ver
or
of agat e
wer e
of t en per manent l y wor n
by Tur ki sh
ar cher s of posi t i on, bot h f or or nament and f or use.
These r i ngs wer e f i nel y pol i shed and f r equent l y i nl ai d
wi t h
gol d.
THETURKISHTHUMB-RINGANDITSMANIPULATION.
FIG. 1 0. FIG. 1 2.
Fi g. i o. The posi t i on of t he hand when t he ar r ow i s f i r st
f i t t ed t o t he
bow-st r i ng, t he l at t er bei ng hi t ched behi nd t he l i p of t he
t humb-r i ng. The nock
of t he ar r ow shoul d be cl ose agai nst t he l i p of t he r i ng, and hence
wi t hi n
about an
ei ght h of an i nch of t he angl e f or med i n t he
bow-st r i ng when i t i s
f ul l y dr awn,
as shown i n f i g. 1 2.
Fi g. t
1 .
Vi ew of t he t humb, wi t h t he r i ng,
A, i n

posi t i on pr epar at or y
t o cl osi ng
t he f or ef i nger and t humb.
[ B. Sect i on of
t he bowst r i ng as
hi t ched behi nd t he pr oj ect i ng l i p of t he
r i ng
.
C.
The base of t he f or ef i nger , or t he par t
of i t whi ch pr esses t i ght l y over
t he sl opi ng sur f ace of t he l i p of t he r i ng,
i n
f r ont
of t he bow-st r i ng,
when t he bowi s bei ng bent . ]
ORIENTALBOWS-THE
THUMB-RING

1 5
Fi g. 1 2. The base of t he f or ef i nger pr essed agai nst t he
r i ng, t he hand
cl osed, and t he bow-st r i ng and ar r owbei ng dr awn back by t he
t humb-r i ng.
It
shoul d be not ed t hat no par t of t he, hand i s ut i l i sed
i n hol di ng t he r i ng
and i n
dr awi ng t he bow-st r i ng, except t he t humb and t he base
of t he f or ef i nger .
When t he pr essur e of t he f or ef i nger i s t aken of f t he r i ng ( by separ at i ng t hi s
f i nger and t he t humb) t he bow-st r i ng i nst ant l y pul l s
t he
l i p
of t he r i ng sl i ght l y
f or war d, and
at t he samemoment sl i ps of f
i t wi t h
a shar p ' cl i ck. '
The
ar cher s
of ot her
Or i ent al nat i ons
besi des t he
Tur ks
empl oyed t humb-
r i ngs of var i ous shapes and di mensi ons t o sui t t he const r uct i on of t hei r bows,
bow-st r i ngs and ar r ows. Al l t humb-r i ngs wer e, however , mor e or l ess si mi l ar ,
and wer e al l used i n t he manner I havedescr i bed.
It i s, i ndeed, i mpossi bl e t o shoot an ar r ow
by
means of
a
t humb-r i ng
except as I haveshown, and as a ver y shor t pr act i cal t r i al wi l l pr ove.
If t he r i ng i s appl i ed i n any ot her way i t ei t her f l i es of f t he hand when t he
bow-st r i ng i s r el eased ; t he t humb i s i nj ur ed ; or t he bow-st r i ng escapes f r omi t s
hol d when onl y par t i al l y dr awn.
In one of t he Tur ki sh manual s on Ar cher y t r ansl at ed by Bar on Pur gst al l
( p. 22) , many i l l ust r at i ons ar e gi ven of t he const r uct i on of t he Tur ki shcomposi t e
bow, but , unf or t unat el y, mi nor det ai l s ar e omi t t ed, t hough doubt l ess t hey
wer e common knowl edgewhen t he Ot t oman aut hor wr ot e.
Wi t hout t hese det ai l s t hecor r ect f or mat i on of t he bowcannot beascer t ai ned.
Thechi ef omi ssi ons ar e ( i ) Thecomposi t i on of t he ver y st r ong and el ast i c gl ue
wi t h
whi cht he par t s
of
t he bow
wer e
so secur el yj oi ned, ( 2) Thet r eat ment of t he
f l exi bl e
si new
whi ch f or med
t he back of t he bow-whet her , f or i nst ance,
i t
was
gl ued on i n shor t shr edded l engt hs or was at t ached i n onesol i d st r i p.
Al l weknow
i s t hat t he
si new was t aken f r omt he
Li gament um
Col l i of
an
ox or st ag, a ver y
power f ul and el ast i c
t endon
whi ch cont r act s or expands as
t he
ani mal r ai ses or l ower s i t s head t o f eed or dr i nk.
When t he
si new
whi ch
compr i ses t he back, or out si de when i t i s st r ung, of
a Tur ki sh ow--however
ol d
i t
be-i s di ssol ved
i n
hot wat er ,
i t
di si nt egr at es
i nt o hundr eds of shor t pi eces of f r om
2
t o 3
i n. l ong and about
s
i n. i n di amet er ,
each
as duct i l e
as i ndi ar ubber
and al most unbr eakabl e by hand.
The component par t s of a Tur ki sh bow, consi st i ng of a t hi n st r i p of hor n,
oneof wood
and
anot her of si new
( f i g.
3,
p. 6) , ar e so pl i abl e. when separ at ed
t hat t hey
can al most be coi l ed r ound t he f i nger s, t hough i f t he samepi eces ar e
gl ued t oget her
t hey f or ma bowof unr i val l ed st r engt hand el ast i ci t y.
16

ORIENTALBOWS
Scal e : One i nch=one f oot .
Fi G.
13.
FIGS.
13,
14
. THE
COMPARATIVEDIMENSIONSOF REFLEX COMPOSITE
BOWSOF VARIOUS
NATIONs. -The st r uct ur e of
al l
t hese bows
i s
si mi l ar i n t hat
t hey
ar e composed of si new, wood
and hor n, i . e. si newon t he back of t he bow,
Scal e : Onei nch=one f oot .
ORI ENTAL BOWS
Fm. 1 4 .
PERSI AN,
UNSTRUNG.
PERSI AN,
STRUNG.
I NDI AN,
UNSTRUNG.
I NDI AN,
STRUNG.
TURKI SH,
UNSTRUNG.
TURKI SH,
STRUNG.
18
ORIENTAL
BOWS
nat ur al l y cur ved hor n on i t s i nner f ace, and a t hi n cor e of wood bet ween
t he
hor n and
s i new
.
Though t he
r ange of
t he Tur ki s h bow-whet her wi t h a Ri ght i ng or wi t h a
war ar r ow-f ar exceeds t hat of t he ot her bows depi ct ed, yet t he Per s i an and
Indi an weapons ar e capabl e of s hoot i ng t o a l ongdi s t ance, cer t ai nl y much f ar t her
t han
any Eur opean l ongbow.
Thegr eat Chi nes e or Tar t ar bowr equi r es a ver y l ongar r ow, whi ch f r omi t s
l engt h i s , of neces s i t y,
a heavy
one wi t h a t hi ck s haf t .

I t cannot be pr opel l ed,
as a r es ul t , f ar t her t han f r om250t o 26o yar ds .

One di s t i nct i ve f eat ur e of
Chi nes e,
Tar t ar , Per s i an or Indi an
bows i s t he f or mat i on of t hei r bow-s t r i ngs .
Thes e ar e
i nvar i abl y f r om
4
t o
5/ 16
i n. i n
t hi cknes s ,
and
ar e al ways cl os el y
wr apped r ound, f r omend t o end, wi t h s of t cor d or
col our ed s i l k of about t he
s ubs t ance of wor s t ed
.
The Tur ki s h bow-s t r i ng i s
s
i n. t hi ck, and i s mer el y
s er ved r ound wi t h f i ne
s i l k f or 3 i n. at i t s cent r e of l engt h, wi t h t hr ee or f our s hor t er
l as hi ngs at
i nt er medi at e poi nt s .
THELENGTHSOF
THEARROWSFORMERLY USEDINWARFAREWITHTHEROWS
, The l ong Tur ki s h war ar r owwas
dr awn
t o
t he head as i n an or di nar y bow.

The gr ooved hor n was
onl y us ed wi t h t he s hor t and
l i ght f l i ght -ar r ow.
GIVEN- INFIGS.
13
ANDI4.
Chi nes e
or
Tar t ar bow 3 f t .
Per s i an 2f t . 8 i n .
Indi an
2 f t . 6i n.
Tur ki s h I 2 f t . 42i n.
THERANGEOFTHETURKISHBOW
IN1795 Mahmoud
Ef f endi ,
Secr et ar y t o t he Tur ki sh
Am-
bassador i n London,
shot a
252 - i n. f l i ght ar r ow
48o
yar ds . The bow
he used i s
si mi l ar t o t he one
shown i n
f i g . 1, p. 2, and i s
nowpr e-
ser ved i n t he Hal l
of t he
Royal Toxophi l i t e
Soci et y,
Regent s Par k.
Mahmoud
Ef f endi ac-
compl i shed t hi s
f eat -whi ch
was car ef ul l y
ver i f i ed at t he
t i me-i n t he
pr esence of a
number of
wel l -known mem-
ber s of t he Toxophi l i t e
Soci et y
of t he day, i ncl udi ng
Mr .
T
.
War i ng,
t he aut hor of a
wor k
on Ar cher y.
J oseph St r ut t , t he
hi s-
t or i an, was al so a
spect at or ,
and descr i bes t he
i nci dent i n
hi s book ent i t l ed
`The Spor t s
THEAUTHOR
SHOOTINGWITH
A
TURKISH
Bow. '

andPast i mes of t he
Peopl e of
Engl and. '
It
i s beyondquest i on t hat i n t he sevent eent handei ght eent h cent ur i es,
wi t h
bows
pr eci sel y si mi l ar t o t he one shown i n Fi g. 1, but of muchgr eat er
power ,
f l i ght ar r ows
wer e shot f r om600 t o Booyar ds by cer t ai n f amous Tur ki shar cher s
.
The
achi evement s of t hese cel ebr at ed. bowmen wer e engr aved on
mar bl e
' Ther e ar e many
count r y r esi dences i n Engl andat whi ch t he aut hor has made ver y l ong
shot s wi t h
a
bowandar r ow,
andwher e t r ees have been pl ant ed t o mar k t he di st ances.

Among
ot her s ; Gl ynl l i von
Par k, Car nar von ;
Br oomhead Hal l ,
Shef f i el d
; Onsl ow Hal l ,
Shr ewsbur y ; Nor t on Pr i or y, Runcor n ; The
Hendr e, Monmout h,
andHar pt on Cour t , NewRadnor ,
may be named.
20 THETURKI SH
BOW-I TS
RANGE
col umns er ect ed at t he anci ent ar cher y gr ound near Const ant i nopl e,
and t hese
r ecor ds
ar e st i l l i n exi st ence. '
The onl y t r ust wor t hy evi dence of unusual r anges at t ai ned wi t h
t he Engl i sh
l ongbowi s
as f ol l ows
I t i s not pr obabl e t hat t he
Engl i sh
bowmen of medi aeval days wer e abl e t o
shoot t he
ar r ows t hey
used i n war f ar e
f ar t her
t han f r om
230
t o
250
yar ds
.
Nor
i s i t l i kel y t hat t hey coul d send f l i ght ar r ows t o l onger r anges t han t hose gi ven
above, as heavy yew bows, st r ong as t hey may have been, wer e unsui t abl e
f or t he pur pose. ' I t was f r omt hei r gr eat el ast i ci t y, as much as f r omt hei r
st r engt h, t hat composi t e bows der i ved t hei r wonder f ul power .
When, t oo, t he composi t e bow was st r ung, i t s bow-st r i ng was much mor e
t aut
t han was t hat of any Eur opean bow, as t he l at t er was mer el y bent out of a
st r ai ght
l i ne, whi l st t he f or mer was bent f r oma shar p r ef l ex cur ve, whi ch i t was
al ways st r i vi ng t o r esume when i n use.
Though many nat i ons f or mer l y used composi t e bows of hor n and si new, no
peopl e at t ai ned such dext er i t y i n t hei r mani pul at i on, or
const r uct ed t hemof such
mar vel l ous power and ef f i ci ency, and at t he same t i me so
smal l , el egant and
l i ght , as di d t he Tur ks.
I t
shoul d not be
supposed, however , t hat
because t hese
bows
wer e so di mi -
nut i ve
i n si z e, t hey
wer e mer e pl ayt hi ngs
f or shoot i ng a f l i ght ar r ow t o an
i mmense
r ange
. They wer e power f ul weapons
of war f ar e, and, as I have
pr oved
i n pr act i ce,
t hose of onl y moder at e power
ar e capabl e of sendi ng an i r on-
shod ar r ow wei ghi ng
5s
. ,
or one ounce, t o a di st ance of
28o yar ds. Bows
t hat
coul d shoot a
f l i ght
ar r ow 600 yar ds, and mor e, woul d cer t ai nl y be abl e t o dr i ve
an ounce ar r ow 36o t o 400yar ds-pr much f ar t her t han was possi bl e wi t h t he
ol d Engl i sh l ongbowand i t s war shaf t .
I have obt ai ned wi t h much di f f i cul t y dur i ng t he l ast f ew year s about a scor e
of composi t e bows of Tur ki sh manuf act ur e f r omvar i ous par t s of t he Ot t oman
Empi r e.

Not mor e t han t hr ee or f our of t hese have, however , pr oved ser vi ce
abl e, owi ng t o t hei r age, as no
bows of t he ki nd have
been made f or over a
hundr ed year s, t he ar t of t hei r const r uct i on
bei ng l ong
si nce negl ect ed and l ost .
' See
The Cr ossbow, pp.
28, 29.
z
I n
Ki ng Henr y I V. ,
Second Par t , Act I I I . , Scene 2, Shakespear e makes Shal l ow excl ai mof
Doubl e t hat
t he
l at t er coul d shoot a f l i ght ar r ow f r om 280t o 29o yar ds. I n t he t i me of Shakespear e
( 1564-1616) i t
was,
t her ef or e, consi der ed a not abl e f eat t o send an ar r owt o t hi s di st ance.
1798.
Mr . Tr owar d
340
yar ds.
1856. Mr
.
Hor ace For d 308 . ,
1881. Mr . C. J . Longman 286
1891. Mr . L. W. Maxon
290
1897. Maj or J oseph St r aker . 310
THETURKI SHBOW-I TS RANGE
Wi th the bow
depi cted i n Fi g. I , I shot si x ar r ows i n successi on to r anges
exceedi ng 350
yar ds, the l ongest f l i ghts bei ng 360, 365 and 367 yar ds . Thi s
publ i c r ecor d
was establ i shed J ul y 7th, 1905, at an ar cher y meeti ng hel d at Le
Touquet, near Etapl es i n
Fr ance.

The
gr ound sel ected
f or
the
tr i al was per -
f ectl y l evel ; ther e was no
wi nd, and
the di stances wer e
accur atel y measur ed by
sever al wel l -known member s of the Royal Toxophi l i te Soci ety whower e pr esent .
Wi th the same bow
I have, i n pr i vate pr acti ce, thr i ce exceeded 415 yar ds,
and on one occasi on r eached 421 yar ds . '
Though thi s bowi s a power f ul one f or a moder n
ar cher
to dr aw, i t
i s
a
mer e pl aythi ng compar ed wi th other Tur ki sh bows of the
same l ength,
but
of
f ar gr eater
str ength, whi ch I possess .
Some of
the l atter ar e so cur ved i n thei r unstr ung state that thei r ends
near l y meet, and ar e so
sti f f , when str ung, that I cannot dr aw
them
to
mor e
than
FI G. 15. SKETCHOF AVERY POWERFUL TURKI SH
BOW
WI TH
I TS ARROWANDBOW-STRI NG.
21
hal f the l ength of a 25-1-i n . ar r ow.

Fi g. 15 shows a bow
of thi s ki nd i n my
col l ecti on .
Such bows as these r equi r e a pul l of 150to 160l bs . t o bend
themto thei r f ul l
extent, whi ch qui te accounts f or the mar vel l ous, but wel l authenti cated,
di stances
attai ned i n f l i ght-shooti ng by the muscul ar Tur ki sh bowmen of bygone
days .
Though
367
yar ds
i s
a shor t r ange i n compar i son wi th that
whi ch the best
Tur ki sh ar cher s wer e f or mer l y capabl e of obtai ni ng, i t i s,
so
f ar
as known, much
' I pr esented thi s bow, and some of the ar r ows I used at Le Touquet, to the member s
of the Royal
Toxophi l i te Soci ety. These ar e nowpr eser ved i n the cl ubhouse of the Soci ety i n Regent' s
Par k, the f i ne
hal l of whi ch contai ns an unr i val l ed col l ecti on of ar cher y i mpl ements and cur i osi ti es .
22

THETURKI SHBOW-I TS RANGE
i n excess of t he
di st ance any ar r ow has been shot fr oma _bow si nce t he
oft -
quot ed feat of
Mahmoud Effendi i n
1795,
p. 19.
Ful l cor r obor at i on
of t he wonder ful fl i ght -shoot i ng of t he Tur ks may
be
found i n some
t r eat i ses on Ot t oman ar cher y whi ch have been t r ansl at ed
i nt o
Ger man by Bar on
Hammer - Pur gst al l ( Vi enna, 1851).
I n hi s di r ect i ons
concer ni ng t he sel ect i on of sui t abl e bows and ar r ows for
t he spor t , one of t he Tur ki sh aut hor s
quot ed by Pur gst al l wr i t es- : ` The t hi nnest
' Angl i ce, Bal l oon feat her s .
TURKI SHCAVALRYSOLDI ERSWI TH
THEI R
BOWS
.
Fr oman i l l umi nat ed Tur ki sh MS. i n t he Sl oane Col l ect i on, B. M. , dat ed 1621, No. 5258.
These
r epr oduct i ons pl ai nl y showhowsmal l was t he si z e of t he bowfor mer l y used i n war far e
by
Tur ki sh sol di er s .
and l ongest
fl yi ng ar r owhas whi t e swan feat her s shaped l i ke l eaves, ' and t hi s
ar r ow,
wi t h a good shot , car r i es fr om1, 000 t o 1, 200
paces . '
The
or t hodox l engt h of a pace i s t hi r t y i nches, and t hus
even 1, 00o paces,
or t he l esser
r ange ment i oned, woul d exceed B00 Engl i sh
yar ds .
Augi er Ghi sl en de
Busbecq ( 1522-1592), a Bel gi an aut hor and di pl omat i st ,
descr i bes t he
Tur ki sh ar cher y he wi t nessed when ambassador t o t he
cour t of
Sol yman, and t he
wel l -ni gh i ncr edi bl e di st ances t o whi ch he sawar r ows pr opel l ed
.
THE
TURKISHBOW-ITSRANGE

2
3
Ful l i nf or mat i on t o t he same ef f ec t , wi t h exc el l ent di agr ams, may be f ound
i n a
Lat i n MS. on Tur ki sh ar c her y by J . Covel , D. D. , Chapl ai n t o t he Embassy
at Const ant i nopl e
1670-1676. '
Anot her t r eat i se
( i n Tur ki sh) ent i t l ed ' An Ac c ount of some f amous Ar c her y
Mat c hes at
Bagdad ( 1638-1740) , dedi c at ed t o t he Gover nor of t hat c i t yby t he
aut hor , M. Ri zai , 2 may al so be c onsul t ed, as i t gi ves t he exac t r anges of t he
l ongest -f l yi ng ar r ows.
It shoul d be r emember ed t hat many year s ago f l i ght -shoot i ng was a ver y
popul ar r ec r eat i on of t he Tur ks, t hat ever y abl e-bodi ed man was a pr ac t i sed
ar c her , and t hat ever y mal e c hi l d was t r ai ned t o use a bow f r om t he ear l i est
possi bl e age.
The or i gi n of Tur ki sh and ot her hi ghl y f i ni shed c omposi t e bows, and t he
appr oxi mat e dat e when t hey wer e
f i r st used i n spor t and
war f ar e, i t i s now
i mpossi bl e t o det er mi ne.

Bows t hat ar e undoubt edl y of t hi s ki nd and whi c h
ar e of exc el l ent
shape
and desi gn,
ar e depi c t ed on some
of t he
most anc i ent
pot t er y exi st ent ,
and
ar e al so r ef er r ed t o i n
some
of t he ol dest wr i t i ngs we
possess.
For a f ul l ac c ount of Ot t oman ar c her y and t he
ext r aor di nar y f eat s of
Tur ki sh bowmen, see pp. 27, 28, 29, 30, The Cr ossbow.
I MSS. , B. M. , 22911, f ol i o 386.

2
Sl oane
MSS. , B. M. , 26329,
f ol i o
59 .
THERANGE
OF
THE
MEDI EVAL CROSSBOW
27
war f ar e, or even f or t ar get - shoot i ng, as i t woul d br eak t o pi eces on st r i ki ng any
mat er i al t hat was mor e r esi st ant t han sand or soi l .
' London1 79 5 .
Dear Br ot her , - I have j ust been t o see t he secr et ar y of t he Tur ki sh
Ambassador shoot i ng wi t h War i ng
1
and

ot her f amous Engl i sh bowmen
.
Ther e was a gr eat cr owd, as you may suppose, t o see. t hem.

The Tur k, r egar d-
l ess of t he many per sons st andi ng r ound hi mand t o t he amazement and t er r or
of t he Toxophi l i t es, suddenl y beganf i r i ng hi s ar r ows up i n al l di r ect i ons,
but t he
ast oni shment of t he company was i ncr eased by f i ndi ng t he ar r ows wer e not
made
t o f l y, but f el l har ml essl y wi t hi n a f ew yar ds.

These ar r ows t he Tur k cal l ed
hi s " exer ci si ng ar r ows . "

Thi s was an i dea t hat was qui t e new t o t he bowmen
pr esent , and t hey began t o have mor e r espect f or t he Tur k and hi s bow.

The
Tur k' s bow i s made of ant el opes' hor ns and i s shor t , and pur posel y made
shor t
f or t he conveni ence
of bei ng used i n al l di r ect i ons on hor seback.
`The Toxophi l i t es wi shed t o see t he power s of t he Tur ki sh
bow, and t he
Tur k
was asked t o shoot one of hi s f l i ght ar r ows .

He shot f our or f i ve, and
t he
best f l i ght was ver y car ef ul l y measur ed at t he t i me.

I t was 482 yar ds
.

The
Toxophi l i t es
wer e
ast oni shed,
I can t el l you.
`War i ng sai d t he f ur t hest
di st ance at t ai ned wi t h an Engl i sh f l i ght ar r ow,
of whi ch he had ever hear d, was
335
yar ds, and t hat Lor d Ayl esf or d had once
shot one, wi t h a
sl i ght wi nd
i n hi s f avour , 330 yar ds .

War i ng t ol d me
t hat he
hi msel f ,
i n al l hi s l i f e, had never
been abl e t o send a f l i ght ar r owabove 283yar ds .
`The Tur k was not sat i sf i ed
wi t h hi s per f or mance, but decl ar ed t hat he and
hi s bow wer e st i f f and out of condi t i on, and
t hat wi t h some pr act i ce he coul d
shoot much f ur t her t han he hadj ust done
.
He sai d, however , t hat he never was a
f i r st - cl ass bowman even when i n
hi s best pr act i ce, but t hat t he pr esent
Gr and Sei gneur was ver y f ond of t he
exer ci se and a ver y st r ong man, t her e bei ng onl y
t wo men i n t he whol e Tur ki sh
ar my who coul d shoot an ar r ow as f ar as
he
coul d.
`The Tur k sai d he had seen t he Gr and
Sei gneur send a f l i ght ar r ow
Boo yar ds .
I asked War i ng t o what he at t r i but ed t he Tur k' s gr eat
super i or i t y over
our Engl i sh bowmen ; whet her t o hi s bow or
not .
War i ng
r epl i ed he di d not
consi der i t was so much t he r esul t of t he Tur k' s bow, but r at her of hi s
st r engt h
and ski l l , combi ned wi t h t he shor t l i ght ar r ows
he
used,
and hi s met hod of
shoot i ng t hemal ong t he gr ooved hor n at t ached t o hi s ar m.
`Nei t her War i ng nor any of t he Toxophi l i t es pr esent , ( and many t r i ed, )
coul d bend t he bow as t he Tur k di d when he used i t .
1 T. War i ng, aut hor of a Tr eat i se on Ar cher y, 1 st ed. 1 81 4,
l ast ed
.
1 832.

War i ng
was an accompl i shed
ar cher anda wel l - known manuf act ur er of bows andar r ows .
28
So much f or
t he t r i umph of t he I nf i del s and t he humi l i at i on of
Chr i st endom.

`Your s af f . ,
W. FRANKLAND.
' To Si r Thos . Fr ankl and, Bt . , M. P.
' Thi r kl eby Par k. '
THECROSSBOW
I f ound t he f ol l owi ng i n a manuscr i pt not ebook of
1798
descr i bi ng f eat s
and i nci dent s of ar cher y, col l ect ed by t he r eci pi ent of
t he above l et t er .
`Recor ds of Tur ki sh
ar cher y pr ocur ed i n
1797
f r omConst ant i nopl e by
Si r Rober t Ai nsl i e, at t he
r equest of Si r J oseph Banks, and t r ansl at ed by
Si r Rober t Ai nsl i e' s i nt er pr et er . '
`The Tur ks st i l l have det achment s
of ar cher s i n t hei r ar mi es, mer el y not t o
devi at e f r omanci ent cust om, f or ,
i n
Tur key, ar cher y i s
now mer el y r egar ded as
an amusi ng exer ci se t hat i s t o t hi s day pr act i sed by al l r anks
of t he peopl e.
The Ot t oman emper or s, wi t h t hei r cour t , of t en enj oy t he di ver si on
of
ar cher y i n publ i c, and t her e i s an ext ensi ve pi ece of gr ound
al l ot t ed t o t hat
pur pose.
Thi s pl ace i s upon an emi nence i n t he subur bs of t he ci t y of
Const ant i nopl e,
and commands an ext ensi ve vi ew of t he t own and har bour .

I t i s cal l ed Ok
Meydan, or t he Pl ace of t he Ar r ow.

The gr ound ment i oned i s cover ed wi t h
mar bl e pi l l ar s er ect ed i n honour of t hose ar cher s who have succeeded i n shoot i ng
ar r ows t o any r emar kabl e di st ance.

Each pi l l ar i s i nscr i bed wi t h t he name
of t he per son whose dext er i t y i t r ecor ds, t oget her wi t h some compl i ment ar y
ver ses t o hi m
and
t he exact r ange
whi ch
he
at t ai ned
wi t h
hi s
f l i ght ar r ow.
The Ot t oman emper or s, f r omanci ent t i mes, have been al ways supposed
t o
l i ve by
t hei r manual l abour ,
and
i n consequence of t hi s
supposi t i on t hey have
each
l ear nt
some
ar t or pr of essi on, most of t hemhavi ng pr ef er r ed t he ar t
of
maki ng
bows and ar r ows.
The pr esent emper or was bound appr ent i ce t o t he t r ade of ar cher y, and
at t he t i me he was r ecei ved as
a mast er i n t hi s t r ade, he gave
on
di f f er ent
occasi ons
ver y spl endi d
publ i c
ent er t ai nment s at t he Ok Meydan, wher e
t he
St at e
t ent s wer e
pi t ched f or hi mand
hi s cour t .
The Tar t ar bows ar e pr ef er abl e t o t hose manuf act ur ed i n Tur key, as t he
f or mer
ar e t he l ar ger and st r onger , t hought her e i s nowan ext ensi ve f act or y f or
i mpl ement s of ar cher y i n Const ant i nopl e, cal l ed Ok Zi l ar , or t he pl ace of t he
Ar r ow- maker s.
The Tur ki sh bow i s f or med of a ver y st r ong el ast i c wood.

One si de of
t he bow i s cover ed wi t h a composi t i on made chi ef l y of buf f al o hor n mel t ed
down ; t hi s i s smoot hed wi t h a f i l e t o a pr oper shape, and f or ms t he concave
si de of t he bowwhen i t i s bent .
THE
RANGE
OF THEMEDI AEVAL
CROSSBOW
29
The convex
si de i s pl ai n wood, pai nt ed, var ni shed
and r i chl y gi l t .

The
bowi s onl y bent
when i t i s about t o be used, and t hen
i t i s bent wi t h
much
caut i on, t he heat
of
f i r e
bei ng al ways f i r st empl oyed
t o makei t f l exi bl e.
The
Tur ki sh bowwi l l penet r at e, wi t h an
or di nar y ar r ow, a
hal f - i nch pl ank
at over 10o yar ds,
t he head and shaf t of
t he ar r ow passi ng f or
t hr ee or f our
i nches t hr ough
t he wood.
Tr ansl at i ons
of t he
i nscr i pt i ons
on some of t he
mar bl ecol umns at t he
Ok Meydan
( Pl ace
of t he Ar r ow) , whi ch wer e er ect ed
i n honour of t hose
who have
excel l ed i n ar cher y
.
1 . Ak Si r al y Must apha Aga
shot t wo ar r ows bot h of whi ch
t r avel l ed t o a di st ance
of

.

625 yar ds
.
2.
Omer Aga shot an ar r ow
t o a di st ance of

.

.

628

,
3 . Sei d Muhammed Ef f endy,
son- i n- l aw of Sher bet zy
Zade

.

63 o

, .
4. Sul t an Mur ad

.

685
5.
Hagy
Muhammed Aga shot an ar r ow

.

729
6. Muhammed Ashur Ef f endy shot an
ar r ow whi ch f i xed i n
t he gr ound at

759

. .
7. Ahmed Aga, a gent l eman of t he
Ser agl i o under Sul t an
Sul ei man t he Legi sl at or , shot an ar r ow

.

76o
8 Pashaw
Ogl ee Mehmed shot an ar r ow

.

762
9. The pr esent
Gr and
Admi r al
Hussei r Pashawshot an ar r ow
whi ch dr ove i nt o t he gr ound at

.

.

764


10.
Pi l ad
A
a, Tr easur er
t o Hal l i b Pashaw

.

805
1 1 .

Hal l i b Aga

.

810

. ,
12. The r ei gni ng Emper or Sul t an
Sel i mshot an ar r ow whi ch
dr ovei nt o t he gr ound
at a di st ance of .

.

83 8

,
The Sul t an shot a second
ar r ow t o near t he same
di st ance. '
I n t he t r ansl at i on of t he
above f r om t he
Tur ki sh
l anguage, t he
f eet
and i nches ar e al so gi ven f or
each shot , but t hese I haveomi t t ed as unnecessar y.
I n t he manuscr i pt , t he i nt er pr et er r emar ks t hat t he
measur ement s of
t he
di st ances on t he mar bl e col umns at Ok Meydan ar e i n
pi kes, t he pi ke bei ng
a Tur ki sh measur e of a l i t t l e over t wo f eet , easi l y conver t i bl e
i nt o Engl i sh
yar ds, f eet and i nches .
I t wi l l beobser ved t hat t he l ongest f l i ght r ecor ded on
t he col umns sel ect ed
f or quot at i on i s 83 8 yar ds, and t he shor t est , 625 yar ds.

Thought hese di st ances
ar e al most t oo ext r aor di nar y t o be t r ue, t hey cor r obor at e i n
some measur e
t he st at ement made i n 1795 by t he secr et ar y, of
t he Tur ki sh ambassador , p. 27.
3
0 THE
CROSSBOW
I f t hey ar e
cor r ect , t hey can onl y be account ed
f or by t he use of a l i ght
shor t
ar r ow, a ver y power f ul
bow, gr eat st r engt h and sk i l l ,
and, above al l
el se, by
t he hor n appendage
whi ch t he Tur k i sh ar cher
at t ached t o hi s l ef t ar m,
and
wi t hout whi ch he coul d
not shoot so shor t an ar r ow
f r omhi s bow. '
I f a ver y l i ght f l i ght
ar r ow of r eed or
bamboo coul d i n some way
be
ar r anged t o r ecei ve t he
i mpul se of t he t hi ck st r i ng
of a cr ossbow wi t h
a
power f ul st eel bow, I
have l i t t l e doubt i t coul d be
pr opel l ed hal f a mi l e.
I have f i t t ed ( as a
separ at e pi ece) a l ar ge hol l ow
hor n nock over t he
but t
of t he or di nar y f l i ght
ar r ow of t he l ongbow, so t hat t he
l oose nock r est ed
agai nst t he st r i ng of t he cr ossbow.

I n t hi s
way I have obt ai ned
sever al f l i ght s
of f r om500 yar ds t o 515 yar ds .

I n t he case
of a shor t and ver y l i ght
f l i ght i ng
ar r ow, however , t he r ecoi l of t he st eel bow
shi ver s i t t o pi eces
as i t l eaves
t he st ock of t he cr ossbow.
' Even i f we accept onl y t he shor t est r ange
r ecor ded on t he col umns as cor r ect - i
. e. 625 yar ds- i t i s an
ext r aor di nar y di st ance f or any ar r owt o be pr opel l ed, and
much exceeds, as f ar as we k now,
what has ever
been done by an Engl i sh bowman wi t h a l ongbow. I t i s, however ,
beyond quest i on t hat
t he secr et ar y t o
t he Tur k i sh Ambassador di d shoot an ar r ow 482 yar ds
( t he ar r owand bowbei ng even
nowpr eser ved i n
t he Toxophi l i t e Soci et y' s r ooms) , t hough he decl ar ed at t he
t i me of t he occur r ence t hat
he was not pr of i ci ent
i n t he ar t of sendi ng a f l i ght ar r ow t o what he consi der ed a
gr eat di st ance.

We may
f r omt hi s saf el y
assume t hat a r ange of
143
yar ds f ur t her t han t he Tur k i sh
secr et ar y at t ai ned wi t h hi s bow,
or a t ot al f l i ght
of 625 yar ds, ' was qui t e possi bl e i n t he case of a mor e power f ul
and sk i l l ed Tur k i sh ar cher
t han he was.
See Chapt er L. f or a descr i pt i on of l ong di st ance ar r ow- t hr owi ng
by hand.