Infantry in the Middle Ages heavy toll on the English invaders of their lands. Adapted by the English, the longbow was nevertheless a difficult weapon to master, requiring long years of use and practice. Even bow construction was extended, sometimes taking as much as four years for seasoned staves to be prepared and shaped for final deployment. A skilled longbowman could shoot 12 arrows a minute, a rate of fire superior to competing weapons like the crossbow or early gunpowder weapons. The nearest competitor to the longbow was the much more expensive crossbow or Arbalest, used often by urban militias and mercenary forces. It required
Weapon Brown Broom Hilda-like witch, can see them in "Blockhead's War"). He is somewhat more intelligent than normal dogs. He is depicted as fiercely loyal to his master. He has lost sight in his left eye, during the events of "It's the Easter Mongrel, Weapon Brown", a story published in the print version of the omnibus. He is the only other survivor of the battle against Linus and follows Weapon Brown all the way through the events of "Blockhead's War". At one point when he is injured and dying, he sees himself in a World War One flying helmet and sees other