I'm looking for a book that my dad told me about years ago. He had read it as a child, probably in the late 50's, early 60's, and never found it again. At bedtime my dad would tell me what he remembered. It took place in England right before and during the American War for Independence. There was a boy whose father had died, living with his mother and sister, when a Turkish man moves in next door. Eventually he and the boy make friends and the boy earns a little money doing chores for him. The Turkish man has a big, black bow, and he says to the boy, when you're strong enough to bend the bow and string it can have it. So, the boy tries every day, and eventually he can do it and the bow is his, along with the arrows.
He and his family are starving, so one day, he takes his bow and shoots deer in royal forest. He's caught for poaching and sold as an indentured servant and gets sent to the Colonies. His mother gives him a basket just as leaves on the boat, and he discovers when he's on board that it has his bow and black arrows inside. Then, there's a storm just as they approach land, the sails are torn, and they're drifting away from land, when the boy gets out bow, ties a string to an arrow, which the people on shore catch and tie to a rope, which he pulls on board, and they're saved.
So, the boy still gets sold, and while he's on the auction block, he sees a hunchback. he prays to God to let anybody buy him but the hunchback. The hunchback comes up to him and grabs his arm, and the boy yanks it away while the hunchback mutters at how strong he is (from stringing the bow so much). So, the hunchback buys him, and ends up being a very kind master. He works by providing supplies to the American revolutionaries. While they're both bringing supplies to starving troops, the boy sees turkey droppings under tree, and comes back later and shoots them for food.
Eventually the British catch the hunchback but the boy gets away, and they hang the hunchback from a tree, the boy shoots him down, and it turns out the hanging straightens the man's neck. In fact, the whole reason it was crooked to begin with was that he had previously survived an unsuccessful hanging.
After that, I don't know what happens. Sound familiar to anyone? My dad used to think it was called "The Black Arrow" or "The Black Bow" but I haven't had any luck finding it under either title. It's definitely not Stevenson's "The Black Arrow." Thanks!