According to English standards, it was very short; but for hunting in
the brush and shooting from crouched postures, it seems better fitted
for the work than a longer weapon.
According to Ishi, a bow left strung or standing in an upright
position, gets tired and sweats. When not in use it should be lying
down; no one should step over it; no child should handle it, and no
woman should touch it. This brings bad luck and makes it shoot crooked.
To expunge such an influence it is necessary to wash the bow in sand
and water.
In his judgment, a good bow made a musical note when strung and the
string is tapped with the arrow. This was man's first harp, the great
grandfather of the pianoforte.
By placing one end of his bow at the corner of his open mouth and
tapping the string with an arrow, the Yana could make sweet music. It
sounded like an Aeolian harp. To this accompaniment Ishi sang a
folk-song telling of a great warrior whose bow was so strong that,
dipping his arrow first in fire, then in the ocean, he shot at the sun.
As swift as the wind, his arrow flew straight in the round open door of
the sun and put out its light.
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