He shook his head.

Ned signed to him to string it, but the chief tried in vain, as did several of the strongest of the Indians.

Indeed, no man, however powerful, could string an old English bow, unless trained to its use.
When the Indians had given up the attempt as hopeless, the two lads strung their bows without the slightest difficulty, to the intense surprise of the natives.

These again took the bows, but failed to bend them even to the length of their own little arrows.

The lads then took out their newly-made shafts, and took aim at a young tree, of a foot diameter, standing at about two hundred yards distance; and both sent their arrows quivering into the trunk.
The Indians gave a perfect yell of astonishment.
"It is not much of a mark," Tom said; "Hugh Willoughby, of our village, could hit a white glove at that distance every time; and the fingers of a glove five times out of six.