Chapter 09

Archery Events

On the second and fourth Saturday afternoon of each month Mack is at the Queanbeyan Archery Club using one of their bows to stay in practice. He’s very good and most of the club members appreciate his skill, even if his style is different. A few aren’t so happy because they feel the only real way to use a bow is the way Miss Rowe uses a bow.

Mack is at the Archery Club with Tanya and the Thomas kids on the second Saturday in March. They’ve come to watch him at work with a bow before going to a film. When he walks in to hire the bow he’s been using for the last few months the club member he deals with, Bob, asks him to wait to try a bow that’s being brought in by a person from a club in Canberra. Since this is the nice man who supervises the school archery Mack smiles and obliges him by waiting for the other bow to arrive with the other archer who owns it.

Several minutes later a man walks in carrying a yew longbow and a quiver of a dozen yard long arrows. He walks up to the fellow in charge and says, “OK, Bob, where’s this giant you think can actually shoot this big monster of mine,” as he places the bow on the counter.

Bob smiles and waves Mack over while he says, “I think it’s all in the know-how and not the muscles. But we’ll see in a moment.” He turns to Mack, “Think you can make this one sing, Mate?”

Mack walks over and he picks the bow up. He gives it very good going over. This is a yew longbow made from the inner and outer wood of the yew tree and it’s in good condition. He looks up at the man to ask, “May I try this out, please?”

The man looks at Mack, shrugs, and says, “Hell, if you can string it, go for it. I can’t even string the damn thing. I got it and the arrows from a master bowyer in the UK about a year ago when I was there on holidays. He assured me it’s made like the ancient Welsh longbows and he proved the draw on it is six hundred and seventy-five Newtons, that’s just over one hundred and fifty pounds. I thought some exercise and I’d be able to use it. But after a year of weightlifting and upper body muscle building I can’t string it, let alone draw it.”

Mack grins while he picks up the bow. It’s a magnificent example and a very good wood. He checks the string is properly attached at one end in the string nock with the loop for the other end is as it should be. He gets a cushion off a nearby chair and drops it on the floor beside his right foot then he places the end with the string on it on the cushion and says, “In normal ancient usage the men would be standing on soft ground when they did this so they’d not bruise or harm the wood.” Mack has the bow angled out to his left so he grabs the top end with his left hand and pulls it down toward his chest. Although the middle section of the bow is almost rigid the top and bottom thirds bend at an alarming rate. The owner is about to jump forward while thinking the bow is about to break when Bob stops him. They both stand there and watch while Mack pulls the bow down until he can slip the noose over the end and into its place on the bow stave so he soon has it in its string nock. When Mack lets up on the bow the string tightens. In a moment he has the bow strung.

While shaking his head the owner says, “I almost bent the bow that far, once. But I thought I was about to break it so I let up. Damn, I can’t believe it bends that much.”

Mack smiles at him, “This is very good wood. The heart wood is very strong and rigid while the outer wood is very flexible and springy. I’ve not tried to draw a bow this powerful before, so this will be a good test. I have drawn a bow with a one hundred and twenty pound pull before, but this is another thirty pounds. Well, let’s go see what it’ll do.” Mack picks up the quiver of thirty-six inch arrows, walks out of the building, and over to the Shooting Director. It’s clear everyone there knows about today’s test because they’re all waiting to see if he could string this monster bow. Many are surprised he was able to string it.

The Shooting Director sends Mack up to be the first bowman of the day. All are waiting to see what happens. Mack moves to the shooting line. He takes six arrows from the quiver and sticks them in the ground in front of him. He bends and picks up the first arrow, nocking it to the string he starts to spread his arms to draw the bow. All can see the effort he’s making to move the stave and the string apart. Many doubt he’ll do it. It takes him quite a few seconds longer than what he’s taken in the past, but he soon has the bow drawn and ready for action. He takes aim at the designated target. Because this bow is more powerful than what he’s used to he aims a bit lower than usual. He watches the arrow in flight. It takes an almost flat line to the thirty metre target and hits higher than he intended. He leans down to get the next arrow. By the third arrow he’s hitting in the centre circle of the target. He puts the next three arrows in the centre ring of the other thirty metre target.

Turning to the Shooting Director Mack asks, “Is it OK to try the fifty meter target from here?” He needs permission because that’s the target for the next firing lane. This club isn’t set up for a competition at the moment but it has a number of targets at different distances in the lanes for the members to practice at the various ranges. Mack gets a nod of approval so he fires the last six arrows at the fifty metre target. Everyone is interested in seeing what Mack can do with this longbow so they all stand and wait while the arrows are recovered. Then they set up for him to shoot at greater distances. Four arrows at each of the sixty, seventy, and ninety metre targets. The bow’s owner goes to retrieve the arrows while Mack asks the Shooting Director, “Can we try out some warfare distances, please? I’d like to see how this bow goes over the distances they used to fight at in the middle ages.”

The current set up is for members to do competition practice so the club is set up over the distances normally used in competition, but the land they have available to use is a lot larger. The club’s senior members and club officers discuss his request. They’re as interested in this as he is, so they soon have members out moving targets out to what looks to be horrid ranges for modern archery. They set up targets past the end of two lanes to be at one hundred and twenty-five, one hundred and fifty, one hundred and seventy-five, two hundred, two hundred and fifty, and three hundred metres. They stop at that length due to running out of safe firing space. It takes about fifteen minutes to set it all up.

When all is ready the Shooting Director double checks it’s safe and gives Mack the signal to shoot. He only needs one sighting arrow for the first two new targets before he puts the rest in the centre circle. The same for the next target. Due to the distances Mack is firing six arrows at each target and a club member rides his motorcycle down to retrieve the arrows. For the middle two targets Mack doesn’t get in the centre circle until the third arrow, and it’s the fourth arrow for the last two targets. But all are amazed at the reports on how deep the arrows go.

A heated discussion goes on while half of the club members present go about shifting the targets back to where they belong. All are surprised about how deep the arrows sink into the targets, even at the very long distances on the last few shots. It’s clear this is a war bow designed to be deadly at a great distance. Most are impressed with Mack’s ability to even hit the targets at such a distance. All wonder what the maximum range is for this bow, and most are too scared to find out.

When Mack hands the bow back to its owner the man says, “Nice work. I’ll have to try that method of drawing the bow. Would you be interested in showing the members of my club how to use this bow? We meet on Sunday mornings at Tuggeranong in South Canberra.”

“Yes, I’m interested, but Sunday morning is usually church services for me. I’ll have to see what I can work out.”

“That’s OK. I’m there every Sunday. Turn up one morning and ask for me, Peter Downs. I’ll have the bow with me, so we can set it up at short notice. Heck, make it late on a Sunday morning and you can do a demonstration for the beginner’s class that finishes about eleven-thirty.”

“I’ll think about it and see what I can work out. It’s likely a spur of the moment opportunity may see me there.” Peter nods to show he heard him and walks off to put his gear in the car. Mack smiles when he notices Peter is leaving the bow strung and ready for use.

Visitors and Violence

Two weeks later Tanya and Mack leave the church right after the end of the services but before the morning chat and snack time. Bob is visiting the church and he leaves with them too. Mack drives the Yukon with Bob as his supervising driver. They soon reach the far side of Tuggeranong and find the field used by the club where Peter Downs is a member.

It’s a quarter past eleven when they get out of the SUV. Peter spots them making their way to the club house. The beginner classes are just finishing so Peter soon has his bow and arrows out for Mack to do a demonstration. Peter is upset he didn’t get time to organise more people to watch, but this suits Mack just fine as he doesn’t want a huge crowd.

After the beginners are done with their shooting and the range is safe to enter some of the club members go to move the targets for what Peter wants to do while Peter is telling the beginners about the demonstration Mack is about to put on. As he talks all can hear some motorbikes in the national park and pine plantation that surrounds them on three sides. They’ve been hearing the bikes all morning, just as they hear them most Sundays as they’re a regular background noise to the club members. Many kids ride the trails in the area. Unlike most mornings the noise is getting louder and they can tell the bikes are approaching the club area.

The club members have set up the targets and are now back with the other spectators. Mack walks up to the Shooting Line. He takes the arrows out of the quiver and sticks them in the turf at his feet. He leans over, picks up the first arrow, and he readies to loose the arrow.

Mack is taking aim at the first target he’s to hit which is set at fifty metres. A group of motorcycles bursts into sight when the bikes round the end of the trees just behind the last target set at four hundred metres. The bike riders angle a little to Mack’s right while they all race across the open ground. Most are in a very tight grouping but three are falling behind while the main group accelerates across Mack’s extended range area.

On seeing the riders Mack lowers his bow. But a moment later he raises it again and sights down the range while the riders race across the ground as fast as they can. The bulk of the riders are opening the space between them and the last three who are on smaller bikes. The rider at the back of the pack is obviously having some engine problems because all can see the bike is jerking a lot while it moves across the ground. That rider is falling further behind while one of the pair just in front is often looking over their shoulder to see how the last rider is doing.

The last bike rider is near the three hundred and fifty metre target when the cause for Mack to raise his bow again comes into sight by bursting through the trees. A pack of twenty to thirty dogs is in pursuit of the bike riders. Mack tracks the pack for a moment while it closes the gap to the last rider who’s only about fifty metres ahead now. The dogs are near the three hundred and fifty metre target when Mack looses the first arrow. As fast as possible he draws and looses five more arrows.

Three of the watching club members race to pick up their bows and arrows. These club members are bow hunters and can help, but they’ve never fired at anything this small at this distance so it takes a few ranging shots for them to hit the dogs. Another club member is on his cell phone calling his workmates because he’s a Park Ranger.

Mack stops with the seventh arrow ready to go. He waits to see how the pack reacts to the arrival of the first arrows. He doesn’t expect any reaction to the first one or two, but they should react by the time the sixth has hit the pack. All of the people present watch the first arrow fly through the pack and into the ground on the other side. A few think he’s missed. Mack, Peter, and Bob know better. None of the dogs are big enough to stop the arrow from passing through them at this range. All six arrows pass right through the pack, and a few dogs too.

A number of dogs are now lying on the ground whimpering. The bulk of the pack slows and turns to see why the others are whimpering. The pack leader, a bull mastiff of some sort, continues after the riders. The bulk of the riders have now passed the archery club. They go through the car park and head into the town area. The last rider is at the sixty metre mark and visibly slowing down with clear bike issues. The rider who’d been checking on them is slowing and turning to go back.

Mack takes great care while he tracks the pack leader and looses the arrow. He draws another and waits to see what happens with the arrow he just fired. He smiles when he watches the arrow pass through the front shoulders and chest of the dog he was targeting. The sudden pain causes it to drop to the ground, face first. It gets up and drops again. One of the club members steps up beside Mack and says, “Hit the main pack again. I’ll pin this bugger to the ground.” Mack nods to show acceptance of the order as he turns to sight on the main pack while the woman aims at the mastiff.

Both fire at the same time. The woman’s arrow soon has the mastiff pinned to the ground and going nowhere while Mack’s arrow passes through the pack to cause more yelping. He fires three more arrows at the pack. With his second last arrow he sights on the biggest unharmed dog, it looks to be a Great Dane or similar. He looses the arrow. The dog jerks when the arrow goes through it. The dog drops to the ground.

Mack is drawing his last arrow when what’s left of the pack turns to go back into the trees they came from. The pack is only a shadow of its original size and it looks like only seven or eight dogs get away.

The people stayed to watch a demonstration of a war bow, and they got one. Instead of watching him hit targets they see him in action against a dangerous enemy. The spectators cheer while they watch the dogs retreat into the trees. Mack lowers the bow but he keeps his eye on the tree line. They all stay where they are while they watch the one rider go back to the stopped bike. The rider of the broken bike gets off and onto the back of the rescuer’s bike. Wisely, they leave the stopped bike where it is and they come over to the archery club.

The bike stops and the passenger walks over to where Mack is. The passenger takes off their helmet while they approach, and all can see it’s a girl. She gives Mack a hug and says, “Thank you. I thought I was dead until I saw that last one fall. Can I please have your phone number?”

Mack smiles at the twelve or thirteen year old girl while he pulls out one of the calling cards he has with his address and phone number on it. He hands it to her while he says, “Here you go. If you want to give me a thank you gift I really love to eat Túró Rudi.”

She laughs, “I don’t know what that is or how to make it, and I don’t think my mother knows either. I’ll have to see what I can do.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I know just the lady who can teach you both how to make it.” That starts a chat on cooking and cooking lessons.

While they talk her rescuer is on a borrowed cell phone. He hangs up and thanks Bob for the loan of the phone. He walks over while saying, “Dad is on his way over with the ute. I only told him your bike stopped. He’s not happy about that because he figures you had to have been running it at too high a speed. I expect he’ll be more upset when hears the rest, but he won’t be angry at you for riding your bike into the ground. Now we’ll have to take turns sharing mine until he can afford to get yours fixed.” She grimaces as she nods her agreement. All look up at the sound of racing car engines approaching them.

In a moment there’s four Parks and Wildlife vehicles on hand with two police cars and an ambulance putting in an appearance too. The ambulance leaves as soon as they learn no one is hurt. The police take a couple of statements and lists of witnesses, but they leave the matter to the Parks and Wildlife people to deal with.

Clean Up

Ten minutes later the Parks and Wildlife people have made sure all of the injured dogs are dead and are packing the twenty-two carcasses into the back of a truck to take them away and burn them. They check them for collars and microchips while they take photos and load them up. When they hand Mack back the arrows he sends Peter to find some disinfectant to clean the arrows with before putting them back in the quiver.

A man drives up in a ute and stops nearby. He gets out and walks over while saying, “All right, Jack, Jill, where’s the bike? And what did you do to kill it?” It’s obvious he’s angry about the damage to the bike.

The two kids go over and speak to him. While they do that Mack approaches the club member who’s a Park Ranger. Mack says, “Will, you please have him leave the bike. Tell him where you work and you’ll arrange to have it fixed. I’ll pay for it.” The man frowns at Mack. “They can’t afford to fix it and it’s her main form of fun. Got it?” The man nods to show he understands, then he walks over to the trio.

On reaching them he hands over a business card and says, “Can you please drop the bike at this address sometime during office hours this week? If you can’t, let me know where we can pick it up. I’ll arrange for it to be repaired.”

The man’s stunned and he replies, “Sure. I can drop it in tomorrow, just after lunch. Why are you getting it repaired?”

“The bike died because your daughter had to run it into the ground to get away from a large pack of dogs wandering the park area we haven’t been able to deal with. I feel a bit responsible about that. If we’d been able to get to the pack before now it wouldn’t have happened.”

The man smiles and takes the kids to the ute. A few minutes later they’ve loaded both bikes into the back of the ute then leave for home.

The Park Ranger returns to Mack. He says, “Give me your card. I’ll see what we can cover out of our funds first. I’ll call you if we need more money. OK?” Mack smiles as he nods. “You know, most of your arrows went through two or three dogs?” Mack nods again. “What really gets me about this whole mess is every one of those dogs is legal. They’ve got chips, collars, registration tags, and current owner addresses. We’re going to fine the owners for not controlling their dogs and put them on our list of bad owners. Hell, over half are pedigree dogs worth several hundred dollars each. We’re also warning the local vets for any dogs with what looks like arrow wounds because I’m sure you wounded some of those that got away.”

Mack shakes his head in disgust. He’s used to dealing with feral dogs loose in the forest, but these are a pack of pets running wild during the day then going home at night. He says, “If any wounded dogs are found put transponders on them and let them loose again. See if they’ll lead you to where the pack hangs out. Then finish them all off.” The Park Ranger smiles at the idea while he nods his agreement.

About an hour after the incident started the Parks and Wildlife staff have all of the statements, have cleaned up the site, and some are off to try and track the remains of the pack. The bulk of the spectators have gone home and the archery club members are moving the targets back to their usual places. Peter has his bow and arrows put away.

Tanya, Bob, and Mack are heading for the Yukon when Tanya says, “I know you said it would be an interesting morning, Mack. But please, next time we go somewhere can we have just a touch less excitement?”

Mack grins, “Sorry, Tanya. I can’t take credit for that. But I’m glad to know my skill of hitting a moving target with a bow is still good.”

Bob adds, “I’m sure the girl is very happy to know that too.” They all smile while they climb in the SUV and head off to get a late lunch before going home.

Bike Repairs

The bike is dropped to the local Park Ranger’s office by lunchtime the next day and it’s in a bike repair shop that afternoon. The bike shop is one that specialises in trail and motocross bike sales and service. It’s also an authorised agency for the brand of bike concerned.

Thursday afternoon Mack arrives home from school to find the Park Ranger from Sunday waiting for him. The man says, “Afternoon, Mack. I’m sure you remember me, but I didn’t introduce myself before. I’m Senior Ranger Brian West. I’ve come round to talk to you about the motor bike.” Mack waves for him to continue before he makes himself a light snack while they talk in the kitchen. Helen is working today so it’s just the kids and Brian. “I was working out how much I could get out of my budget to fix the bike when I got a call from headquarters. It seems they found out about my idea to fix it at departmental expense. They let me know that’s not on for any reason. I now need to know if you can go ahead and pay for this and how much you’re willing to pay. The shop with the bike wants to talk about it before doing any further work on it.” It’s clear Brian isn’t happy with the current situation.

Mack eats a big bite of his sandwich then asks, “Can you drive me to the shop and bring me back here?” Brian agrees. “Right, let’s go and see what they have to say.” The kids know Mack has access to money, as shown by the Yukon and his computer, but they’ve no idea how much.

Mack and Brian get into the work utility Brian has and they head over to Woden where the bike shop is. While they drive Mack says, “Mister West, I’m fairly wealthy in my own right and I intend to see Jill gets a good bike back. So have no worries about the money, OK?” Brian gives him a quick glance while driving, and he smiles.

At the bike shop they have to wait a few minutes while the manager finishes dealing with a sale of two new bikes. While they wait Mack and Brian look over the stock in the show room.

When he’s free the manager walks over and says, “OK, Brian, you got a work order or some cash for me. I’ve had the guys start on that bike you dropped in but I can’t do anything more until I can show the owner we got the costs covered or a clear order. Sorry.”

Brian replies, “I told you I’d see it’s covered! What happened, Joe?”

“Someone rang the owner and told him the Department was having nothing to do with the bike. So he’s now worried about getting paid for the work on the bike.”

Mack asks, “How much to make him happy for you to go ahead with a full evaluation and quote?”

Joe answers, “A hundred bucks or so will make him happy.”

Mack pulls out his wallet while he heads toward the register. He says, “Right, knock me up a receipt for two hundred and fifty dollars as part payment for the repairs of the bike. I’ll pay it on my debit card right now. We can organise the rest once I see a full quote and can check the prices.” Joe smiles while he hand writes a receipt and he puts the charge into the register. It clears OK, and he’s very happy.

Joe clips the payment to a work order he gets from his desk and calls out, “David, come out here to talk to us about that broken one hundred from the Parks and Wildlife people.”

A man in his late twenties wearing a set of dirty coveralls walks in from the back room. He smiles at Joe and says, “I know Henry said to leave it be, but I also know Brian will pay for it. So I’ve already taken it right down. That motor is shot, kaput, useless. Not even worth a rebuild. The rest of the mechanicals are almost as bad. It’s only seven years old but it looks like it’s been through a few decades of war. I don’t think it’s had proper maintenance for the last few years. If the frame and swing arm weren’t in good order I’d say dump it. We could sell them a new one hundred for about twenty percent more than what it’d cost to fix that one. But you can save money by fixing it.” Brian and Mack look at each other. This is a lot more damaged than they expected. They’d thought an engine rebuild was all that’s needed.