Archery Question

[--Pete]

Hi,

And all this talk of flaming arrows reminds me of the first soldiers to use gunpowder firearms.  Yikes! :o
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Recently read a book on that. The early 'hand cannons' were amazing things. The user had to look away from his target to fire since that was done by lighting the touchhole with a slow match (actually a piece of hemp rope waxed so that it would burn slowly). *If* they fired, the poor fit of the rough cast ball in the equally rough cast barrel could cause the projectile to go pretty near anywhere in the forward hemisphere. If the loaded cannon were pointed down, there was a very real possibility that the ball (and a lot of the powder) would fall out. Every now and again, just for the hell of it, one of those cannons would explode, killing or maiming the operator. And, with a rate of fire more suited to an ice age than a firearm, the wielder was effectively defensless for most of the battle. Truely a fearsom weapon, except maybe to one's enemies. It's amazing that firearms ever caught on ;)

--Pete