for hanging back.

As soon as he was seen approaching with Cacama, the Mexicans
abandoned their sport, and gathered round. The story of the defeat
of a band of Montezuma's soldiers by the white man had been
whispered abroad, and Cuitcatl had mentioned to his friends what he
had heard, from Bathalda, of the mighty bow Roger had used; but
when they saw the weapon with which he was now provided, their
wonder was to a large extent mingled with incredulity. They passed
it from hand to hand, tried but in vain to bend it, and murmured
among themselves that the thing was impossible.

"What will you have for your mark," Cacama asked.

"One of these targets will do well enough," he said, pointing to
those at which the Mexicans had been shooting.

These were boards about five feet six in height, and some fourteen
inches in width, presenting the size of a man. They were painted
white and supported by a leg hinged behind them. The distance at
which the Mexicans had been shooting was about forty yards.

Roger stepped a hundred from one of them, and made a mark upon the
ground.

"An English archer would laugh at a target like that," he said to
Cacama, "but it is nigh three years since I practiced. I have seen
men who could with certainty, at this distance, hit a bird the size
of a pigeon sitting on the top of that target, twenty times in
succession, and think it by no means extraordinary shooting."

The queen and some of her ladies now appeared upon a terrace
looking down into the courtyard. Roger took the bow, fitted an
arrow to the string, and drew it to his ear--a murmur of
astonishment rising from the Aztecs. There was a pause for a
moment, and then the arrow sped. There was a sharp tap as it struck
the target, and stood quivering in it just in the center line about
four feet from the ground.

"The bow is an excellent one," Roger said, and quickly discharged
two more arrows, both of which struck within two or three inches of
the first. As it was the power of the bow, rather than his own
shooting, that Roger wished to exhibit, he now had the target
removed a hundred yards farther back, and others placed one on each
side of it. At this distance he discharged three more arrows,
shooting more carefully than before. All three struck the boards,
although at varying heights; and a shout of surprise arose from the
lookers on.

"How far will it carry?" Cacama asked.

"It might carry another hundred yards, but the aim cannot b