Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1890-01-25
THE B..oW-aUN or THE oYAKS.
The "sunpltao" and Itz Poisoned Ar
rnw-A Weapon Silent and Deadly.

CIR. American Fl Ill
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 woUd, about eight feet long
anu an inch or two in diameter, bOred
out with the utmost care. c~ustomarily or.
namented with tweed patterns. aud often
surrounded at the end with metal At
the end. iashed to the side in such a way
as not 10 interfere with the main use of
the weapon. is often found u spear head,
giving the sumpitau u two foid use, aud
showing us that il was after all no eau
cas- an who first invented the ba onet
The sumpitau shoots a poisoned arrow.
This is only about six or eight inches
long. aud as thick as a heavy darn .ng
needle. being frequently only q large
thorn. At its base secret of the force
with which il can be blOwu-it has a lit
tie wad or ball of plth, which just fits the
caliber throughout
The tip Of this tiny arrow is poisoned,
Rev. Mr. Wood thinks, with the uice Of
the dead y native upas tree; but in this he
Is n { necessarily right Mr.. arl Book,
who is perhaps the only traveller of note
who ever saw the process Of preparing the
arrows, thus describes what he observed
among the ! oonans Of the interior;
They had a bundle of arrows by their
side. and az soon as the poisonous matter
was hot, they took a small quantity and
smcared IL over a wooden plate, by means
OF a wooden instrument resemb ing a pes
tie. till the plate was covered with n thick
layer Then taking an arrow, they rolled
the head across the plate, SO that Ii became
coated with the pasty matter. Next they
made a spiral incision in the arrow head,
and again rolled il over the plate. = 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.
tsnDted the discovery of the natur Of
I. > poison, but have failed nor has an
antidote been discovered which is more
certain than the common treatment for q
snake bite-copious draughts Of spirits
and abundant exercise. with cauterization
of the wound. II Is probable that differ
ent pois ms are used.
The wound of this tiny arrow is usually
within a few minutes fatal TO animal or
uldn. Inc DTdNesl uOCDs utSku W IldTCH
against an enemy So armed. for the hidden
foe. using a weapon parfect,y silent even
more SO thar the bow and $ ear can creep
undiscovered to easy distance and STAY a
dozen men before his location can lie de-
termined. 1t is strange. too, at what range
this weapon is fatal. At forty or nifty yards
the native can use it with perfect accuracy
aud can even do execution at seventy i've
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 ii. 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 a ect the remainder Of the body at all.
The e.. ect of this poison . supposed to be
q stoppage Of the action Of the heart