368 HINTS TO ARCHE11S. 



a splendid archer, who writes " The Turkish bow giveth a very forci- 

 ble shoot ; insomuch that it hath been known that the arrow hath 

 pierced clean through a steel target, and a plate of brass two inches 

 thick !" I must leave, though unwillingly, the exploits of these great 

 men and good archers, and touch upon the moderns, and with great 

 justice ; for however grand are the recorded feats of former days, I 

 will back the performances of our own times against them, whether 

 for length, strength or ability. 



I believe, I have hinted in my title, that I have the honour to be- 

 long to that highly-respectable and distinguished corps, the ROYAL 

 HORSE MARINES, so called from their always riding at anchor, and 

 from my long service in different countries have had much experience 

 in these matters of which I treat. 



I have witnessed the practice of each country, and hardly know to 

 which to award the palm. The Americans take an extraordinary 

 range and shoot very fearlessly. The French if not so strong, are 

 peculiarly dexterous ; but an Irishman possesses a wonderful facility 

 for shooting round corners, particularly if a tailor is after him. The 

 most extraordinary feat I ever witnessed was of an Irishman, who 

 shot up Holborn Hill, and with such prodigious force, that both his 

 eyes went clean through a brick wall ! This is a fact ; for I saw it. 

 I have known some good shots among the English, particularly the 

 ladies, who draw a very powerful bow ; one, particularly I remember, 

 who shot so far beyond the mark, that her shaft was positively lost in 

 the clouds ! She was a member of the " Toxophilite" society, of 

 which the late king was president. There was another capital Eng- 

 lish shot, a friend of mine, who belonged to the " Royal Kentish 

 Bowmen ;" he used to relate, that once riding from Seven Oaks, he was 

 overtaken by a thunder-storm, he hoped to escape it by giving his 

 horse the reins, and singular enough he just kept a-head of it by 

 about half a yard ! In this manner he gallopped at speed five miles, 

 I may say, neck and neck with the thunder cloud ; the rain, or rather 

 torrent, descending exactly upon his horses crupper all the way ; the 

 road behind was literally deluged ; as he emphatically observed, it 

 could only be compared to being within half a yard of the falls of 

 Niagara ! He was fortunately saved from the cataract by shooting 

 up a gateway It was a capital shot. If any impertinent doubt was 

 ever expressed at this relation, the archer would say fiercely ; " Sir, 

 if you want a lie, I'll give you one; but that' s a fact by G d!" and 

 no man was better able ; he was one of the best shots I knew. 



I mentioned the French as dexterous marksmen. I once knew a 

 gentleman from Gascony proverbial for its archery; he had been 

 an officer under Napoleon by the way. I have always remarked the 

 superiority of soldiers and sailors in their management of the weapon 

 he told me of a duel in which he had been engaged at Paris, where 

 the signal was un, deux, and to fire at the word trois. It must be 

 understood we had been quizzing the Parisians on their affectation in 

 rolling the letter R about their mouths previous to utterance. " My 

 opponent," said the Gascon, " was of the garde imperial sacre ton- 

 nere he was a dead shot. I had but one chance, and I watched it 

 narrowly. The second gave the word, tin, deux ; but cade-di, long 

 before he could Jinish the word TROIS, I shot my man dead !" I must 



