Soon after 1859 Mr. H. A. Ford began to lose the almost perfect command which he had, during about ten years, possessed over the bow. Whether this failure arose from the use of bows that were too strong, causing actual physical injury to some of the muscles engaged in the action of pulling up or loosing; or whether it arose from shooting too much; or whether it arose from loss of nerve and confidence, through over-anxiety to excel, and keep in front of all the opponents who, profiting by his instruction, began to tread close upon his heels, will never be known; but certain it is that before he reappeared as Champion at Brighton in 1867, with his fourth best Grand National score of 1,037 (his better scores being, 1,251 at Cheltenham in 1857, 1,076 at Exeter in 1858, and 1,074 at Shrewsbury in 1854), he had taken to weak bows and light arrows, and had tried several different combinations of fingers for loosing. Thus he contrived a finger-tip for the little finger, to the back of which he attached the third finger, so that these two might combine to do the work of one finger. This did not prove successful; but he was satisfied with his final experiment, which consisted of a tip for the first finger, on to the back of which his second finger was also applied; and he has been heard to declare his belief that if he could have tried this loose in his best days he might have improved upon his best scores.
Occasionally the second and third fingers are furnished with a double-cell tip for the parallel action of these two fingers; but as contrivances of this sort are but the playthings of broken-down archers—of whom, alas, there are too many—they are not mentioned with any view of recommending them until, after patient trial, the other simpler finger-guards have failed.
A piece of strong quill is sometimes sewn upon the inside of the tip with the leather catch so as to prevent the string from getting embedded in the leather, and to quicken the loose; but its interference with the 'feel' of the string argues against its employment.
It is even doubtful whether anything but the most cautious use of the leather catch to the finger-tip may not be most dangerous. Many of the best shots do not use it; and though no doubt the certainty of the one best position for the string on the fingers, when the archer is at his best, will produce most excellent results, yet, the possibility that a permanent breakdown may be the result of the use of the same catch when the archer is out of condition or practice, or perhaps tired, should make every archer careful to avoid the loss of liberty of hold that may be found advisable under varying circumstances.
CHAPTER V.
OF THE GREASE-BOX, TASSEL, BELT, ETC
The Grease Box.
The grease-box was, no doubt, an important part of an archer's equipment when prepared for battle, as he had to be out in all weathers, and the grease it contained could alone help him to avoid the ill consequences of moisture about his shooting-glove. The modern archer is seldom called upon to shoot more than, possibly, one end in a sudden shower; and many now never carry a grease-box at all. Yet there is no objection to its use. It should contain vaseline, which may be occasionally applied to the finger-guards, and to the lapping where in contact with the fingers; also, the arrows about the footing may be greased to prevent the paint from the target-faces adhering to them.