I was reading a novel titled "Spice & Wolf" when I found this sentence.
In other words, he thinks he can't but loose an arrow without hitting a deer.
You can see the context here.
What does it mean? As far as I know, 'can't but' means 'it's inevitable' or 'doesn't have any other choice' but then the meaning of the sentence will become, "It's inevitable that he'll miss the deer," and I'm not quite sure about it.
And then, about the next paragraph,
While the hardships of retainers who had to hunt with the duke would be hidden, it would mean good work for the hunters in the region who hunted and killed the duke's prey ahead of time.
I fail to understand what it means. Can someone explain it to me?
Best Answer
It means that the duke believes his skill with a bow is so high that he hits a deer every time he shoots ('looses') an arrow.
"Can't but" is used here to say that this is a sure and definite thing. When he shoots an arrow it can't do anything else other than hit a deer.
It's worth noting that this phrase is not common in modern English.