The latter cannot withstand the recoil of the Turkish bow and soon splits apart, though in the thousands of times I have discharged Turkish arrows I have never known one to split at the nock. It will be noticed that the shape of the Turkish nock--with its narrow entrance that springs apart to admit the bow-string and then closes again--enabled an archer, even on horseback, to carry an arrow ready for use on the string of his bow. [Illustration: FIG. 5.--THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NOCK OF A TURKISH ARROW. Scale: Half full size.] A. The butt end of the arrow, with the projecting wooden halves of the nock shaped and ready to be glued to the shaft. B. The halves of the nock glued to the shaft. C, D. The feathers glued to the shaft. The feathers (3) of a Turkish flight arrow, though stiff, are as thin as paper, and are 2½ in. long and ¼ in. high near the nock. They were often made of parchment. The dark band of shading to be seen round the nock in C and D is a wrapping of fine thread-like sinew. This sinew, after being soaked in hot glue, was wound to a thickness of about 1/32 in. all over the nock and it thus held the halves of the latter securely to the shaft. When dry, the wrapping of sinew was cut out where it crossed the opening for the bow-string. It nevertheless gave a great increase of strength to the thin projecting halves of the nock, as it covered them on their outer surfaces with a sheathing that was very tough and elastic, and as smooth as glass to the touch. This wrapping was, of course, applied before the feathers were glued on. [Page 109] So careful were the Turks in the construction of these arrows, that even the halves of their nocks were made from wood with a natural curve to suit the finished outline. It is possible, of course, they would not otherwise have withstood the violent shock of the released bow-string. It may be said that every inch in length of a Turkish bow or arrow was named in a manner that could be recognised or referred to. In a general way the parts of an arrow were known as follows:-- The enlarged centre the stomach. From the centre to the point the trowser. From the centre to the nock the neck. PART IV _THE METHOD OF STRINGING A TURKISH, PERSIAN OR INDIAN BOW._ In these days no person I have ever heard of can string a strong Turkish bow--diminutive as this weapon is--without much personal assistance, or else by mechanical means, yet formerly the Turkish archer unaided could do so with ease. This he achieved by a combination of leg and manual power. (Figs. 6 and 7, p. 110.) With the longer reflex bows, the Chinese for instance, this operation is comparatively easy, as the hand can reach one end of the bow and draw it inwards for the loop of the bow-string to be slipped into the nock.