The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-06-10
Our Olio.
The sumpitan, or Blow-Tube of
MalaYa.

malaya.
The projectiles used are darts, varying
/ from FIVE to eight or nine inches in length.
| The Dyak war dart is the shortest, and Is
usually furnished with a small metal arrow
head. In this case the shaft is of light
wood The longer darts, such as those
used in Sumatra. are made from a harder
and heavier wood, usually the long spikes
taken from the palms These are left
thicker toward the point than at the other
end. so as to counterbalance the weight of
the conical piece or pith there affixed
This piece of pith. the broadest part of
which is but very little less than the bore
of the blow tube, is absolutely necessary for
the forcible propulsion of the dart. As 1t
does not fit the tube precisely, there is ne
eessarily some escape OF force. For tins
reason. when very hard shots are desired,
a small pellet of cotton or other suitable
fihrous material is put behind the dart.
The great secret in making the darts is
to insure that they balance exaetly--i- e,
one-half must be exactly the same weight
as the other Under any other conditions
true shooting is impossible In Padrang,
Sumatra. | was much astonished TO meet
man using for very small birds darts con-
strueted out of cocOanut-tree leaves. He
took spike of the leaf and cut OF a piece
about FIVE inches long. The stalk Of this
he denuded Of all leaf except one piece an
inch and half long ON one side, the result
being an article having the shape Of = quill
pen. The inch and a half fragment of leaf
that remained was curled round to allow Of
It's admittance into the blow-tube. When
We remember that it was a green leaf, We
can form an idea Of the force with which
the darts are propelled to kill For my par
ticular amusement the sportsman, who was
laden with supply Of at least soc darts,
shot one Of these palm leaf projectiles ever
some water, aud | calculated that the range
was well ever eighty yards. The initial
velocity was 50 great that the dart could
not be seen for the first twenty-five yards.
The greatest adopts with the sampitan,
especially at the present day, when l,s use
i 80 surely diving cut. are undoubtedly the
Dyaks. From what have heard. and from
what | know Of any own observation.
Dyak would shOoi a dart a hundred and
fitty yards 10 certainty and ] should not
care 10 bet very much against two hundred
yards being accomplished BY picked men.
This statement may sayor Of the traveller
order. bat | fancy most Bornean travellers
will sgree with me, The small dart Is, Of
course. not sufficient Of itself to take human
hie. but the Dyaks Poison the preleetiles
ID warfare. when slight woaBd anywhere
Is al that Is necessAFy Mr.. Paul, who was
some years in Borneo with Sir James
Brooke. told me that he once saw pyak
who put two darts into = sHmpisan, one be
hind the other, and BY some inexphcable
means shot oat the front eao hrst, and fol-
lowed with the ether after an interval.
This man was doubtless sort Of DIR. Car
veg among the Dyaks
Precision with blow-sube is. Is with
with every other weapon, = mere matter Of
practise, In shoosinx small biris cut Of
trccs fur collecting parpsssess, for which ser
vice recommended the use Of The blow
tube, the range would never be very great
A bird - fcrs high in tree Is pretty
high. considering that /, Is in the le~er.
fallleaicd trecs thA, the birds oongregate.
in preference 10 the higher ones. At this
distance little practise vii make il a Ger
tsinsy thar the bird viii hs biz. If not
killed outright. the long dart vii of itself
BE- sufficiently curnbssrsOme TO prcveRi the
bird iying very far. As ruiz the quar-
n Is transhxed, when Of course il Is a case.
| give 90 feet, because | always like 10 b.
on the safe side in these matters. bat ! my
self woald certainly undertake To hit four
times out Of six al twiee the height l
have frequently proved this By bringing
doxn Tiny birds cut Of the betel-nut palm.
Your readers viii notice that | speak Of
height and not distance" Shooting up
into = tire and shooting At an object upon
the ground arc two differeas matters when
the prolectile i long dart, likely 70 be
Affected by the least Wind, But still At
thirty feet, small birds shoald not esezpc
very often from horizontal shots. F0rvery
tiny birds clay BALI may be used; but from
the fact that they neyer.ean Ct the barrel
properly, they are not "a sure as the dart.
- TIE london fTsld