of the sculptures. In the time of Megasthenes, "the infantry usually carried a bow of the same length with the bearer." This agrees with the bas-reliefs, which represent nearly all the foot soldiers as archers; but the less ancient bows are much shorter than the bearers, and do not appear to have been more than four feet in length. Most of the bows appear to be straight pieces of bambu, but a few have the double curve, with a straight hand-piece in the middle, similar to the modern ornamental bows of buffalo's horn. "Their arrows," says Megasthenes, "are little less than three cubits long, and fly with such force that neither shield nor breast-plate, nor any armour, is strong enough to withstand them."* The arrows in the bas-reliefs appear to be from 3 to 5 feet in length. "Some of them," he adds, "use darts instead of arrows." In one of the bas-reliefs a soldier covered by a shield is represented holding a dart horizontally ready to launch it forward. The same dart is placed in one of the porter's hands at the western gate. 66 Upon their left arms they wear something resembling pelta, made of raw hides, rather narrower than their bodies, but nearly as long." The most usual shield represented in the bas-reliefs is long and narrow, and rounded at top. It covers the bearer from the head to the knee, and must therefore have been about 3 feet in length and 1 in breadth. In * Arrian's Indica. Q. Curtius, however (viii. 9.), says "that their arrows were only two cubits in length, and were discharged with more exertion than effect, as their weight checked their velocity." the time of Megasthenes, however, it was fully five feet in length. "The shields of the cavalry were smaller than those of the infantry." This is the case throughout the bas-reliefs, in which the horseman's shield is always about two feet in length. It is very peculiar in form, being shaped like a bell with a very wide mouth, and much rounded at bottom. The usual ornament of the shields both for horse and foot was a double cross, the St. George and the St. Andrew; but a cavalry shield on the western gate bears only a crescent and two stars.* WESTERN GATEWAY. RIGHT PILLAR-FRONT FACE. Trial of the Bow.-A river; archer on the left bank shooting at a rock on the right bank, from which water is gushing forth. A monkey is leaping across the river to a tree on the left bank. Two figures seated under a tree; one with a bare head and clad in a a dhoti, the other richly dressed. Below, the prince on horseback, attended by a chatta-bearer, a fluteplayer, a bowman, and others in procession. This story is also mentioned by Fa Hian,† who places the scene of action beyond the walls of the city of Kapila. There the Prince Siddharta "drew * See Plate XXXIII., figs. 3, 4, 5, of this work. a bow, and the arrow flying to the south-west struck the ground at the distance of thirty li (five miles), and caused a spring of water to gush forth. In after times the people built wells on this spot to supply travellers with drinking water." M. Remusat* has given a long account of this popular story from the Chinese works; and it is curious to compare this with the original story preserved in the Páli annals of Ceylon. These annals, which were carried to Ceylon by Mahendra, the son of Asoka, in B. C. 240, give the following account:- "When Prince Siddharta had reached the age of sixteen, his father demanded the daughters of the neighbouring chiefs in marriage for his son; but they all refused, because the Prince, though handsome, had not been taught any martial accomplishment, and was, therefore, incapable of controlling women. The Prince inquired" What accomplishment is it necessary for me to exhibit?" His father replied, "To string the bow which requires a thousand persons to bind." Bring the bow," said the prince. The bow was brought to him, and he, while still seated, "twisted the bowstring round his great toe, and drawing it with his toe, strung the bow; and taking the bow in his left hand, and drawing the string with his right, let it (the cord) fly. The whole town started, and to the inquiry," What noise is this?" the answer was, "The clouds are rolling with thunder;" some others 66 observed, "Ye know nothing about it; it is not the rolling of thunder: it is the ringing of the bow which requires the strength of a thousand persons, which the great archer, the prince endowed with a halo around his person, has rung." The Sakya princes on hearing of this, from that circumstance alone, commencing to rejoice, were highly gratified. The great mortal then inquired "What more should be done?" They replied, "It is requisite that an iron target eight inches thick should be pierced with an arrow." Having pierced it, he said, "What else?" "It is requisite that a plant of the Arsaná tree four inches thick should be pierced." Having transfixed that, "What else should be done?" "Then carts filled with sand and with straw." The great elect, then transpiercing the straw cart, drove the arrow one usabhan deep into the water, and eight usabáni into the earth. They then said, "It will be requisite to pierce a horse-hair, guided by the mark afforded by the suspended fruit of the watingáno" (which is attached to the hair.) Replying, "Hang it up at the distance of one yójanan,” he shot his arrow in a direction which was as dark, under the obscurity of dense clouds, as if it were night, and pierced the horse-hair, which at the distance of one yójanan, was indicated only by the watingáno, which was suspended from it, and it entered the earth. If fully related, these were not all that the great mortal exhibited on that day to the world, in proof of his accomplishments in martial deeds. Thereupon the Sakya tribes sent their daughters superbly decorated. There were forty thousand dancing and singing girls. The princess (who was afterwards) the mother of Ráhulo, became the head queen." In this story there is nothing about the gushing forth of the water, which must therefore be an addition of after times, between B. C. 240 and A. D. 30, when the Sánchi gateways were erected. The Chinese account also refers the shooting to the occasion of Prince Siddharta's marriage: but his brothers Thiao-tha (or Devadatta) and Nan-tho (or Nanda) are brought to compete with him in the trial of archery. "First an iron target was placed at the distance of 10 li, and so on to seven targets. The shafts of the most renowned archers went no further than the first target. Thiao-tha having drawn, shot beyond it and reached the second. Nan-tho surpassed this, and pierced through the third. The other archers being unable to shoot so far, the prince broke all the bows of those who had shot before him; not one was equal to his strength. The king then said to his attendants, 'My ancestors possessed a bow, which is now in the temple of the Gods; go, bring it.' They went to fetch the bow, which required two men to carry. No man in that assembly could lift it. When the prince shot with it, the twang of the string was heard forty li. The bent bow hurled the shaft so as to pass through the seven targets. He shot again, and the arrow having passed the targets, pierced the |