CHRONICLES OF THE CARIBOO 18

force of a bullet. At his waist also hung a light Hudson’s Bay axe
or tomahawk and a buckskin pouch containing his valuables. He
possessed also, if not carried in the hand always close within reach,
a splendid example of the old-time Indian war bow sheathed in a
long, slim rawhide scabbard that was heavily pitched to make it water-
proof, chiefly to protect the powerful bowstring of twisted sinew from
wet which would ruin it.

These old war bows were indeed a work of art as well as a fine
example of savage artisan efficiency, and so powerful that it took a
strong man, who knew how, to string one—that is, bend the bow so
as to slip the loop of the string up into the notch at the tip. It took
a strong man, too, to draw even a twenty-six inch arrow to the head.
These bows were a little over four feet long and about one and a half
inches wide in the middle, and were backed with a single long strip
of sinew taken from the back of some large animal.

They were tipped with caribou horn as no wood available could
stand the strain of their mighty twang. They were wound with wet
sinews, which shrinks with great binding force in the drying. Then
the whole was carefully pitched, put on so hot as to penetrate the
sinew and yet not burn or scorch it. The wood most prized for these
bows was a small tree that grows on the Western slopes of the Pacific
Coast mountains, probably a species of yew. But there is a species
of juniper here that did very well wken a section free from knots
could be found long enough. The woods most used for the arrows
were straight sections of the saskatoon berry bush, vine ash and vine
maple, prized in the order named.

The Alexandria Indians have a legend which is said to be verified
by the North-West Co. records that, at the last fight between the
Chilectins and the Yabatans of the Fraser Valley, when the objective
ef the Chilcctin attack was the Company’s fort and stores, an arrow
from cne of these bows in the hands of a defending Yabatan warrior
killed a challenging Chilcotin war chief who stcod on the far side of
the river. This took place right in sight of where this is being written
and the distance must be at least six hundred yards.

The present writer himself can vouch for Baptiste’s amazing skill
with his bow, having as a boy seen him use it. And also for the fact
that it could shcot an arrow much farther than six hundred yards,
Cffers of considerable sums of money for his bow never interested
the cld Indian, but to redeem a promise he presented it to his friend
the Judge sometime after he quit guiding for him. It probably now
reposes as a much-prized memento in the possession of some of Judge
Eegbie’s descendants in the Old Country.

Of course there was a quiver for the arrows, made of the same
materials as the bow sheath. It hung from the waist on the left side
much like a sword. Baptiste’s arrows were not tipped with the old-
time stone heads, but with steel or iron ones made by a Hudson’s Bay
blacksmith. The Dunlevey party witnessed many examples of Bap-
tiste’s wonderful skill with his bow. On one occasion Dunlevey had