The skill of the English longbowmen, and their deadliness in warfare, is amazing to contemplate from our historical perspective. A bowman could easily kill an armored opponent at 200 or more yards, and the deadliness of their volley fire was greatly feared by the French.

Their French enemies took a more pragmatic view than we do today, however, and routinely amputated the index and middle fingers of captured bowmen.


"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars