HISTORY OF THE CROSSBOW— WILBUR 435 



One other part has especial historical interest: the string-catch 

 mechanism. In medieval crossbows this is a revolving spool of horn 

 set down into the top of the stock near the middle, and held in place 

 by a transverse pin. (See pi. 4, and also pi. 5, where they are shown 

 separately in figs. 3, 4.) The upper edge of the spool is cut with a 

 transverse notch for the string, and at right angles to this there is 

 another notch in which the butt of the arrow fits tightly. On the 

 under side of the spool is a small pit into which the upper end of the 

 trigger fits snugly. The bow is drawn and the string fixed behind 

 the catch ; then an arrow or bolt is placed on the stock with its butt 

 end held tightly by the two fingers of the spool. As soon as the 

 trigger is drawn, however, the spool tumbles forward under the pres- 

 sure of the bowstring, which is thus released and the arrow shot. 

 This practical device was not improved upon, and is even seen, made 

 of hardwood, in the recent sporting crossbow in the National Museum 

 collection (pi. 4, fig. 2, and pi. 5, fig. 4). 



It is a striking historical fact that at least as early as the first 

 century B. C. this essential device had been perfected by the skillful 

 Chinese mechanics of the Han empire. There it was cast in bronze, 

 and the several parts of the mechanism fitted together with admir- 

 able precision. It is more elaborate and differs in some details, but 

 the close resemblance between the early Chinese and later European 

 device strongly suggests that we may some day discover that this 

 apparatus is a Chinese invention which found its way into Europe 

 (pi. 3). 



WORLD-WIDE DIFFUSION OF THE CROSSBOW 



Toward the end of the fifteenth century began that great series of 

 voyages which opeaied the whole world to European adventurers 

 and traders. At that time the hand gun or "arquebus" had not yet 

 been perfected, and many explorers carried the old-fashioned reli- 

 able crossbow among their stores of arms. 



Vasco Da Gama took crossbows with him around the Cape of 

 Good Hope in his discovery of the ocean route to India in 1497-98, 

 and had to use them against natives on the East Coast of Africa. 

 In the conquest of Mexico Cortez had more crossbows than arque- 

 buses, and on one occasion when all the gunpowder blew up he had 

 only his crossbows to depend upon. De Soto's infantry were about 

 equally armed with crossbows and guns in the exploration from 

 Florida to the Mississippi. In a battle in 1539 the necessarily slow 

 manipulation of the crossbows showed up badly against the Indians, 

 who could discharge three or four arrows while the crossbowman 

 could shoot once. David I. Bushnell, Jr., informs me that only a 

 few decades ago Mooney found some old English [or more probably 



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