It is a common place that a company of English archers of the Crecy stamp would have been infinitely more dangerous than all the guns at Waterloo. Not only could they shoot with the deadliest precision at more than twice the range of the old muskets, but the extraordinary speed with which they discharged their arrows might have spread panic even in the Old Guard. The thought suggests itself, What if companies of archers were formed against the next war? For certain work they might be invaluable, and the silence of their shooting would inlake it impossible to say whence the arrows came. Would the Hague conventions rule them out? Arrows are far less hateful than high explosives.
But for the moment there are no such thoughts at the H.A.C. ground at Finsbury, only keen contest and good fellowship. There is as yet no professionalism in archery, no betting, no "stars" Any archer is ready to give another the benefit of his experience, and if anyone scores three "golds" in succession (about as rare that, as for a golfer to hole out in one) the whole fraternity rejoice as if they had done it themselves. which is for women—the same number of arrows but 80 yds. the greatest distance—is heavy work for the un-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.