Fig. 8.—The Horn Groove.
The bow is shown fully bent and ready for release, the point of the arrow being drawn back for a couple of inches inside the bow.
This ingenious contrivance enabled the archer to draw the point of his arrow from 2 to 3 in. within the inner surface of his bent bow. He was thus able to shoot a short and light arrow, that would fly much farther than the considerably longer and heavier one he would have had to use if he had shot in the ordinary manner without the grooved horn.
The groove in the horn guides the arrow in safety past the side of the bow, when the bow-string is released by the archer.
The Turk, in fact, shot a short and light arrow from a very powerful bow, which he bent to the same extent as if he used an arrow 3 in. longer, with its proportionately increased size, weight, and frictional surface to retard its flight.
In the former case it will easily be understood that a much longer range could be achieved than in the latter.
Of this increase in length of flight conferred by the use of the grooved horn, the following experiment is conclusive evidence.
I lately shot from a Turkish bow twelve arrows, each arrow being three-quarters of an ounce in weight and 28½ in. in length.
These twelve arrows were individually drawn to the head and the distance they reached averaged 275 yards.
I then reduced the same arrows to a length of 25½ in. each, and to a weight of half an ounce each.