It was a clear sunny day when Deuce took his first lesson with the bow.

Token, a dark skinned fellow, had agreed to teach the boy how to

properly use the short bow he had been given. The area was set up with a

tent off to the left to provide some shade from the heat of the day and

to keep some refreshment from getting too warm in the sun. There was a

target among the trees and a local youngster who would retrieve the

arrows also was wandering in the area. There were a couple of horses

tied up next to the tent, presumably belonging to the farmer and his

wife who were providing the refreshment and tent.

The day drug on and on and Deuce didn't feel like he was getting much

better. The muscles in his back were aching from the strain of pulling

back the bowstring over and over. His fingers were almost bleeding and

felt like they were being held in a candle flame from the repeated

friction from the bowstring. His left forearm was red and welted from

holding the bow incorrectly, thus causing it to be snapped by the string

as the arrow was sent flying astray.

One such time the arrow totally missed the target and managed to

perfectly sever one of the main tie-downs for the tent. the right side

of the tent collapsed immediately which caused the women inside to

shriek in terror and spook the horses. The horses both snapped free of

their tethers and bolted. One bolted straight into the youth who had

been busy retrieving arrows. He was injured pretty badly as he was

trampled. The horse didn't even slow down as it galloped out of the

clearing and disappeared into the woods beyond. The second horse headed

straight at Deuce, who was so terrified by the mammoth beast bearing

down on him, could do nothing but stare wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

Later, Token, the instructor would describe him as having taken on the

"pallor of the dead." Just before the horse would have gone right over

him, Token jumped in front of him and threw up his hands and scared the

horse into rearing up. This was all he needed to regain control over the

horse and calm him down.

By the time Token had the horse under control, he found that Deuce and

had fainted, and now lay in the dirt, white as a sheet, with his bow

next to him and an arrow from his quiver sticking out of his thigh. It

had evidently pushed through the bottom of the quiver when he fainted.

To his knowledge, Token had never heard of such a thing happening, but

with everything else, it somehow fit.

Deuce awoke to his leg being cleaned and dressed, lying in the tent that

had been repaired. An elderly woman had cleaned the wound he did not

remember receiving and then stepped aside to let an attractive young

girl, who was apparently an apprentice of sorts, continue with the

binding of the wound.

The girl looked at Deuce, smiled and then said, "I don't believe I have

ever heard of a more impressive string of bad luck in such a short

period of time." Deuce turned be red, smiled an embarrassed smile and

then lay back down and closed his eyes.