It is likely that the earliest weapon of primitive man was that employed
by the shepherd David,--the little round pebble from the brook. It was
not despised as a last resort by the Indians of my day, and we boys
practised with it continually.
It was customary with us to carry about a dozen or so small rounded
stones in a special leather pouch. We used soft buckskin thongs about
eighteen inches long, attached to a piece of flexible rawhide some two
inches square, but usually tapered to a point, for the sling. This was
our long distance gun; but the first step toward learning its use is the
throwing of stones accurately by hand.
I remember when I was about ten years old that my favorite playmate,
Redhorn, and I used to spend many long mornings perfecting ourselves in
this art, and we kept up our practice until we could hit the animal or
object aimed at as many times as you boys would with a 22 or an air gun.
This training of the eye together with the muscles of the arm is the
first essential. The next is to throw with all your strength and still
keep your aim true. After mastering the overhand throw, we practised
several other varieties, including one straight up in the air, which
helps in the development of waist and back muscles.
We boys hunted squirrels, rabbits, partridges, and ducks with stones
merely, and often succeeded as well as if we had had arrows or even
guns. One advantage of this method is that it is silent and scarcely
disturbs the game. It is especially lively in the fall of the year, when
game is abundant and often young and inexperienced. At this time we
often hunted in groups. In case of a party of six boys, four would take
up positions on a point of the lake shore, while the other two swam out
into the lake, making as much noise as possible and imitating the
screams of the hawk or eagle to frighten the ducks. Sometimes hundreds
would rise with a thunder of wings and fly over our heads in large
flocks. Then our innocent-looking pebbles whistled through the air like
real bullets, and at every volley several ducks would drop into the
water for the swimmers to pick up, while flock followed flock in quick
succession. At such times we were happy and gave many a war-whoop and
yell of delight; though it is true the swimmers were in some danger from
stray shots, and had often to dive to escape the missiles.
If the ducks are wild, they may be deceived by stripping off your
clothing, daubing your body with mud, and lying motionless on the shore.
When we had killed enough, we had the excitement of chasing the wounded
ducks in the water, and at last we counted our bag and divided equally.
No boy who is not a good shot should hunt in a group with others, as
there is danger of injuring his companions.
Upon the western prairies there are in some places small alkali lakes,
where few or no stones are to be found. Here we used the sticky alkali
mud, on the end of a pliable rod or willow switch perhaps two and a half
feet long. The lump is about the size of a hen's egg and the consistency
of artist's clay. It is thrown with one swing of the arm, and as a rule
only stuns the duck, so that it is necessary to pick up your game after
each volley, otherwise it may come to life and fly away. In an
emergency, when no willows were to be had, the Indian boy sometimes used
his arrow, first removing the head and the feathers.
The Indian uses a shorter bow than do most primitive people. The
regulation hunting-bow is less than five feet long, and some of the most
convenient ones are only four feet. The best bows are made of young elm,
oak, hickory, ash, and dogwood. Ironwood is good, but not commonly
found. There are also elk horn and Rocky Mountain sheep horn bows, as
well as buffalo rib bows, which are worked to perfect shape by the use
of steam. They are usually made in two pieces, are difficult to make,
and highly valued. The boy's ordinary bow is made of any kind of wood,
but always that from a sapling, so as to get the necessary elasticity.
The continuous curve bow is not approved by us, as one made with concave
ends and convex in the middle is easier to control and does not jerk the
arrow off its true direction. As soon as the Indian has shaped it by
whittling, he dries it in proper form, and oils it while seasoning to
keep it supple. When thoroughly seasoned, he finishes it by scraping and
rubbing with the natural sandstone. He then tightly winds each end and
the middle with flat sinew and notches the ends for the bowstring, which
is best made of sinew, though wild hemp and other materials are used on
occasion.
In all my wild life, I never saw arrows made of split wood. The young
choke-cherry and June-berry furnish most of the arrows, though the coast
tribes sometimes use reeds. The usual length is twenty-eight inches,
including the head. They are about one-fourth of an inch in diameter and
very light. The man's arrow is feathered with three feathers five inches
long, but most boys' arrows have but two feathers, and these may be
anywhere from two to five inches long, and must curve around the body of
the arrow in screw fashion, otherwise it will not fly straight.
The Indians made arrow-heads of bone, horn, claws and bills of birds,
and sometimes of clam-shells. After the coming of the white man, they
used iron. The stone arrow-head was used apparently by an earlier race,
for most of those that we pick up are too heavy for the Indian arrow. As
children, we often played with them but never made practical use of
them, unless for shooting fish. Indeed, the boy's arrow needs no
separate head, but is merely sharpened at the point, or has a knob at
the end, in which case it needs no feather. This is the safest and most
convenient weapon for shooting in the woods, for it brings down all
small birds and animals, and is readily recovered.
When you have made your own bow and arrows, which you can easily do, the
first thing to learn is the correct position for archery. Your attitude
is that of one who is ready to jump from a spring-board. Then you must
accustom yourself to the strength and spring of your bow, and it is well
to know your arrows individually, their swiftness and peculiarities of
flight. The highest success in marksmanship depends partly upon one's
natural gifts, yet faithful practice must bring a good degree of
satisfaction. The arrow does not alarm the game, is not dangerous to the
hunter or his companions, and seems to be distinctly the boy's weapon.
The exceptional Indian, with his sinew-backed, four-foot bow and
bone-tipped arrow, was able to shoot clear through the body of a large
animal, such as elk or buffalo, unless he chanced to hit bone. All
Indians could kill the largest animal with this convenient weapon, using
the quick off-hand shot. You can learn it, too.