spent in handling them that the bow should not lose in spring and that the arrow should not warp. The average length of the former was four feet, of the latter twenty inches. Mr. Belden in writing of this says, "Let me teach you how to make a good bow and arrow. And first we will begin with the arrow. The shoots or rods must be cut in the arrow season, that is, when the summer's growth is ended. They must not have any branches or limbs on them, but be straight and smooth. The Indians cut their arrows late in the fall, when the timber is hardening, to withstand the blasts of winter. The sticks are not quite so thick as one's little finger, and they are sorted and tied in bundles of twenty and twenty-five. These bundles are two or two and onehalf feet in length, and wrapped tightly from end to end with strips of rawhide or elk-skin. The sticks are then hung over fire in the tepee to be smoked and dried, and the wrapping keeps them from warping or bending. When they are seasoned, which takes several weeks, the bundles are taken down, the covering removed, and the bark scraped off. The wood is very tough then and of a yellowish color. The next process is to cut the arrow-shafts exactly one length, and in this great care must be used, for arrows of different length fly differently, and, unless they are alike, the hunter's aim is destroyed. Another reason for measuring the length of the arrows is to identify them, for no two warriors shoot arrows of precisely the same length. Each warrior carries a measuring or pattern stick, and it is only necessary to compare an arrow with the stick to find out to whom it belongs. But should the arrow by chance be of one length, then there are other means of identifying them, for every hunter has his own private mark in the shaft, the head or the feather. Of many thousands I have examined I never found two arrows exactly alike when they were made by different warriors. "The shafts being made even the next work is to form the notch for the bowstring. This is done with a sharp knife and when made properly, the bottom of the notch will be precisely in the center of the shaft. The arrow is then scraped and tapered toward the notch, leaving a round head an inch long, near the notch, to prevent the string from splitting the shaft, and to make a firm hold for the thumb and forefinger in drawing the bow. "All the arrows are peeled, scraped and notched, and then the warrior creases them. To do this he takes an arrowhead and scores the shaft in zigzag lines from end to end. These creases, or fluted gutters in the shaft, are to let the blood run out when an animal is struck. The blood flows along the little gutters in the wood and runs off at the end of an arrow. The arrow head is made of steel or stone. It is shaped like a heart or dart, and has a stem about an inch long. The sides of the stem are nicked or filled out like saw-teeth. Nearly all the wild Indians now use steel arrow-heads, they being a great article of trade among the savages. When the shaft is ready for the head, the warrior saws a slit with a nicked knife in the end opposite the notch, and inserts the stem of the arrow-head. The slit must be exactly in the center of the shaft, and as deep as the stem is long. When properly adjusted, the teeth of the stem show themselves at each side of the slit. Buffalo, deer or elk sinew is then softened in water, and the wood is wrapped firmly to the arrow-head, taking care to fit the sinew in the teeth of the stem, which will prevent the head from pulling out. The next process is to put on the feathers. To do this properly great care must be taken. Turkey or eagle quills are soaked in warm water to make them split easily and uniformly. The feather is then stripped from the quill and put on the shaft of the arrow. Three feathers are placed on each shaft, and they are laid equidistant along the stem. The big end of the feather is fastened near the notch of the shaft and laid six or eight inches straight along the wood. The feathers are glued to the shaft, and wrapped at each end with fine sinew. The arrow is next painted, marked, dried, and is ready for use. It takes a warrior a whole day to make an arrow, for which the trader allows him ten cents. BOWS. "The bow the weapon so long in use among the different Indian tribes of this continent, so typical of Indian life, and the mere mention of which always associates our ideas with the red men-is made of various kinds of wood, and its manufacture is a work of no little labor. Even at this day the bow is much used, and although an Indian may have a gun he is seldom seen without his long bow, and quiver well filled with arrows. The gun may get out of order, and he can not mend it; the ammunition may become wet, and there is an end of hunting; but the faithful bow is always in order, and its swift arrows ready to fly in wet as well as in dry weather. Thus reasons the savage, and so keeps his bow to fall back upon in case of accident. "Until the invention of breech-loaders, it is a fact well known to frontiersmen, that the bow was a far more deadly weapon at close range than the best rifle. A warrior could discharge his arrows with much greater rapidity and precision than the most expert woodsman could charge and fire a muzzle-loading rifle. The Indian boy's first lesson in life is to shoot with a bow. He is furnished with a small bow and 'beewaks' or blunt arrows, so he will hurt nobody, and with these he shoots at marks. By and by, when he has acquired some skill in handling his weapon, he is given small arrow points, and with these he shoots birds, squirrels, and small beasts. As he grows older he receives the long-bow and at last the strong-bow. These strong-bows are powerful weapons, and some of them so stiff that a white man could not bend them scarce four inches, while an Indian would, with apparent ease, draw them to the arrow's head. A shaft fired from one of these bows will go through the body of a buffalo, and arrow's heads have been found so firmly imbedded in the thigh bones of a man that no force could extract them. The parents take great pride in teaching young Indians to shoot, and the development of the muscles and strength of their arms is watched with much interest. A stout arm, ornamented with knots of muscle, is a great honor to an Indian, and no one but those who can handle the strong-bow are deemed fit for war. "Of all the Indians of the West, the Sioux and Crows make the best bows. The Sioux bow is generally four feet long, one and a-half inches wide, and an inch thick at the middle. It tapers from the center or grasp 'toward the ends, and is but half an inch wide, and half an inch thick at the extremities. At one end the bowstring is notched into the wood and made permanently fast, while at the other end two notches are cut into the wood, and the string at that end of the bow is made like a slip-knot or loop. When the bow is to be used, the warrior sets the end to which the string is made fast firmly on the ground, and then bends down the other end until the loop slips into the notch. This is called 'stringing the bow.' The bow is never kept strung except when in actual use, as it would lose its strength and elasticity by being constantly bent. When unstrung a good bow is perfectly straight, and if properly made and seasoned, will always retain its elasticity. "When the bow is made of cedar it need not be seasoned; but all other woods require seasoning, and are not worked until perfectly dry. Every tepee has its bow-wood hung up with the arrows in the smoke of the fire, but well out of reach of the flames. A warrior with a sharp knife and a sandstone or file can make a bow in three days if he works hard, but it most generally takes a week, and sometimes a month to finish a fancy bow. When done it is worth three dollars in trade. All the bows differ in length and strength, being gauged for the arms of those who are to use them; but a white man would, until he learned the sleight of it, find himself unable to bend even the weakest war-bow. This has given rise to the impression that the Indian is stronger than the white man, which is an error; for practice will enable a man of ordinary strength to bend a bow as easily and send a shaft as deep or as far as any savage. "The Crows maké bows out of elkhorn. To do this they take a large horn or prong and saw a slice off each side of |