The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-02-13
THE BLoW-GUN OF THE DYAks.
The ''Sumpitau'' and Its Poisoned Ar
row-A Weapon Silent and Deadly.


ICor American FielLI
A peculiar weapon, and one whose
like we have not yet seen, is the "sumpi
tau" or blow gun Of the Dyaks This
weapon is a long, straight, and polished
tube of heavy wood, about eight feet long
and an inch or two in diameter, bored
out with the utmost care. customarily or.
namented with tweed patterns, and often
surrounded at the end with metal. AT
the end, dashed to the side in such u way
as not to interfere with the main use Of
the weapon, is often found spear head,
giving the sumpitau a twO-fold use, and
showing US that it was after all no eau
casian who first invented the bayonet
The sumpitau shoots poisoned arrow.
This is only about six or eight inches
long, and as thick as a heavy darning
needle being frequently only a large
thorn. At its base-secret of the force
with which it can be blown-it has a lit
tie wad or ball of pith, which just fits the
caliber throughout.
The tip of this tiny arrow is poisoned,
Rev. Mr.. Wood thinks, with the juice of
the deadly native upaS tree; but in this hS
is not necessarily right Mr.. { rl BocS,
who is perhaps the only traveller of note
who ever saw the process of preparing the
arrows, thus describes what he observed
among the POOnanS of the interior:
side, and as soon as the poisonous matter
was hot, they took a small quantity and
smeared 1t over wooden plate, by means
of a wooden instrument resembling a pes
tie. till the plate was covered with a thick
layer. Then taking an arrow, they rolled
the head across the plate, so that it became
coated with the pasty matter. Next they
made spiral incision in the arrow head
and again rolled it over the plate. Z y
What this arrow poison is made of.
could never ascertain, Notwithstanding all
my inquiries on the spot 1t certainly
contained nicotine, which the Dyaks col
lect from their pipes when they get foul
after smoking. "
Many scientific men of Europe have at
tempted the discovery of the nature of
this poison, but have failed nor has an
antidOte been discovered which is more
certain than the common treatment for a
snake bite-COpiOus draughts of spirits
and abundant exercise with cauteriZation
of the wound. 1t is probable that differ
ent poisOns are used.
The wound of this tiny arrow is usually
within few minutes fatal to animal or
man. The bravest troops dread to march
against an enemy so armed; for the hidden
foe using a weapon parfectiy silent even
more so than the bow and spear can creep
undiscovered to easy distance, and slay
dozen men before his location can be de
termined. 1t is strange, too at what range
this weapon is fatal At forty or fifty yards
the native can use it with perfect accuracy
and can even do execution at seventy-tiv
to 100 yards; a distance almost Incredible
English sailors soon learned to dread the
canoe attacks of these fierce pirates who
came on with their pea shooters. :" and
blew a perfect cloud of death darts
through every Granny of the ships de-
fences.
The Dyak uses the sumpitau as a hunt
ing weapon, for which its perfect silence
renders it the more serviceable. Most of
his game is killed with it. He cuts out
an inch or so of the flesh from about the
tiny wound. and then eats the animal with
perfect impunity. The poison seems not
to affect the remainder of the body at ALL
The effect of this poison is supposed to be
a stoppage of the action of the heart