Human muscle seemed to have reached its limit, mechanics seemed to have reached its limit, but still the world clamored, "Stronger, stronger! How shall we kill our enemy farther away than he can kill us?" For answer, man unlocked one of the secrets of Nature and took out a terrible force. It was a force of chemistry. Who first discovered the power of gunpowder? Probably the Chinese, although all authorities do not agree. Strange, is it not, that a race still using cross-bows in its army should have known of explosives long before the Christian Era, and perhaps as far back as the time of Moses? Here is a passage from their ancient Gentoo Code of Laws: "The magistrate shall not make war with any deceitful machine, or with poisoned weapons, or with cannons or guns, or any kind of firearms." But China might as well have been Mars before the age of travel. Our civilization had to work out the problem for itself.

Deer-Stalking with the Cross-Bow This compact arm with its small bolt and great power was popular with many sportsmen..