So much of the pleasure of archery comes from competition, as well as from its social side, that it is never likely to be a solitary amusement. The first instinct, as with lawn tennis, is to form a club ; and, as all clubs require certain rules, I give at the end of this chapter a list which has been tested by long use, and which covers the ground as thoroughly as rules can. The club may have half a dozen members, or five times as many; but rules should be printed, and strictly adhered to, in order that no cause for dispute or ill feeling arise. A printed law by which all have agreed to abide is much more dispassionate than personal judgment; and even where the umpire is an older person, he or she will prefer to have their authority backed by formal law.

And now as to some of the first principles of archery, though only short hints and directions can be written here; the names of trustworthy books on the subject being given on p. 412, the most interesting as well as practical of all being Maurice Thompson's"The Witchery of Archery,"which condenses in attractive form all the information needed by the most ardent and persistent archer.

To begin with, being able to handle a bow at all presupposes a certain amount of health and strength, which this exercise soon increases, as a reasonable weight for a lady's bow is from twenty to thirty pounds. Bows made from a single piece of wood, and called self-bows, are best of all, as they are less likely to break, or be affected by moisture or ill usage."The grain fibres of the wood should be parallel with the bow longitudinally; for, if the grain is cut across in the making, the weapon is liable to snap or shiver under the first strain."A lady's bow should be about five feet and six inches long. The strength of a bow is measured in pounds, and is found by drawing it with a spring scale, and noting the number of pounds indicated when the string is twenty-six inches from the inside of the bow, which is about the"draw"of the twenty-eight inch arrow. The notch in the horn of the shorter limb of the bow is called the lower nock, and that in the horn of the longer limb the upper nock. The English manuals call the rounded side of the bow the belly, and the flat side the back; but we say simply the inner side and the outer side. The bow must always be bent, flat side out. A cheap one is a poor investment, and it is best to buy one as carefully made as means will admit. The slenderer it can be at the handle, the better will be its shooting qualities; for, if it is thick, the arrow is sure to incline to the left, and miss the mark on that side. It should be bent evenly, so as to form, when strung, or braced, a part of a circle, a little flattened at the handle, the string standing out about six inches from the inside of a five-foot bow.

If made in this country, the most valuable woods are in the order named, - mulberry, sassafras, southern cedar, black locust, black walnut, and slippery-elm ; but thus far the foreign bows, made from lemon-wood, lancewood, yew, and snake-wood, are far the best. Robin Hood preferred yew, and his word is to be trusted in matters of archery if nowhere else.

The bow must always be kept dry."The better it is, the more easily it is injured by dampness."Boiled linseed-oil with a little beeswax in it, in the proportion of two ounces of yellow wax to one pint of oil, should be used for rubbing it. A soft, thick woollen rag is best; and it should always be rubbed after using it, and before putting it away. Keep it in a green baize bag in a dry room, but never near a fire.

The Bowstring. - This is made of hemp or flax, the former being considered best; and the material is waxed and slack-twisted without doubling. The maker forms a loop in one end; and"both extremities are trebled in size, forming a three-cord for about ten inches, gradually tapering."A string with a heavy loop is best, as it will be found easier to slip up the bow in stringing it.

Usually the bow is properly strung when bought; but, if it is necessary to do it yourself, fasten as follows : Slip the loop over the upper end of the bow, and make it fast about two inches and a half below the nock. Stretch the string taut, and "pass the loose end around in the nock of the lower horn till it crosses itself in front of the bow; then pass the end thus brought across clear round under the main part of the string, and back round itself twice, forming a sort of slip-knot without really tying it at all. Cut off whatever end may then hang loose, and wrap the stump to keep it from fraying."The middle part of the string must be wrapped for some six inches with waxed sewing-silk to keep the arrow and fingers from wearing it out, and the whole cord should sometimes be waxed. To keep the upper loop from slipping down when the bow is not braced, many archers draw a bit of green ribbon through a small hole in the upper arm, and down through the loop, tying it in a bow; and the bow may then be carried in any position of the manual used for parading. Silk or flax makes the best home-made strings, shoemaker's thread twisted answering nicely. When a good string begins to fray, wrap it with heavy silk thread well waxed. Extra strings, looped and waxed, should always be carried to use in case of accident, and they should always be kept perfectly dry.

The Arrow. - Two varieties of arrow are made, - the tar get and the hunting arrow; but we have to do simply with those for target practice. The shaft, or wooden part, of an arrow is called the"stele;"and hard-seasoned pine or old deal is the best wood. The steel head of an arrow is called the"pile;"and in a target-shaft it is round, and passes over the end of the stele like a cap or thimble. It has a bevelled point. The end of the shaft opposite the pile, there is a deep notch, or nock, to fit the bowstring. Often in the best arrows a notch is cut in a piece of horn set in the stele.

Feathering properly is next in importance to a good stele. Three feathers are necessary; and"they must be set on the stele about an inch and a quarter from the nock, at an angle with each other of about one hundred and twenty degrees, or the third of a circle, and so arranged that one feather is at right angles with the nock. This is called the cock-feather, and is colored to make it conspicuous. It must always be next to the thumb of the arrow hand in shooting."For short range, accurate shooting, the stele must be heavy, and the feathers broad. Highfield's arrows are the best, but there are horn-pointed French arrows almost as good.

A shooting-glove is made, especially to protect the first three fingers of the right hand. It is formed from three thimbles of stiff smooth leather fastened to soft strips attached to a wristband buttoning around the wrist. But any close-fitting glove is better, and many use no glove at all.

The quiver is merely a round tin tube, closed at the lower end, covered with leather, and holding from three to six-arrows. It may be made as ornamental as desired. Where worn with a belt, it must be well back on the right side. A baldric is more picturesque, and is merely a broad strap worn across the shoulder, and diagonally across the chest. A large woollen tassel may do duty in wiping the arrows when soiled; and a small silver or ebony grease-cup may also hang from the belt, holding a "composition of two parts lard and one part white wax with which to touch occasionally the string, the arrow at the nock, and the finger-tips. A bracer is simply an arm-guard of heavy leather with elastic bands holding it to the wrist and fore-arm; but many archers use none at all.

The Target. — The simplest target of all is what old English archers call a "clout," made of stiff white pasteboard, divided like other targets. It should be from six inches to a foot in diameter, and is merely, when used, slipped into a cleft stick stuck in the ground. Straw targets are sold, and a table is given of their diameters and the proper distance from them.

Each target has a gilded centre called the "gold." Around this, four rings are drawn, - red, white, black, white, the red being next to the gold.

An excellent target is made from a shallow pine box, perhaps four feet square, filled with well-packed earth, over which a coffee-sack is tacked, on which a target-face is fastened. This stops the arrow, and is as good as a butt or straw target, which needs to be supported by an easel, or tripod of wood.

How to Shoot.-The targets must first be placed on the stands, facing each other, and ten feet farther apart than the length of the range to be shot. A mark must be placed as a standing-point from which to shoot, ten feet from the face of each target."Now carefully brace your bow as heretofore directed. Put the arrow-nock on the string at the place marked for it, with the cock-feather out to the left. This is done with your right hand, whilst your left tightly grasps the handle of the bow, holding it nearly horizontal. Now, with the nock thus on the string, hook the first, second, and third fingers under the string, taking the arrow between the first and second. Turn the bow to the left with the left hand, until it stands nearly vertically in front of you, your left arm extended towards the gold of the target. Draw with your right, and push firmly with your left hand, until your arrow's head rests on the lowest joint of your left forefinger. Your right hand will now touch your right ear. Look straight and hard at the centre of the target's gold, but do not even glance at your arrow. Blindly direct your arrow by the sense of feeling. Let go the string. There is no such thing as 'taking aim' with an arrow. He is a bungling archer who attempts it. Shoot from the first by your sense of direction and elevation. It will surprise you at first to see how far you will miss, but soon you will begin to close in with your arrows towards the gold. . . . The quicker shot you are, the better for you, but be careful not to make a little snatch and jerk when you loose the string. The position in shooting should be graceful, easy, and firm. To this end advance the left foot a half-pace, the toe turned towards the target, the knee of the left leg slightly bent. Fix the right foot nearly at right angles with the left, the right leg straight. Look directly over the left shoulder at the target. This position is called, ' putting the body into the bow,' and will lead to powerful shooting."