Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-01-13
HUNTING WITH BLOW PIPES.

Hut WING WITH BLOW PIPES.
with Poisoned Arrows.
The blow pipes used by the savages
OF Guiana for shooting poisoned arrows
are very wonderful weapons indeed.
The climate of this equatorial region,
being both very hot and very moist,
produces Il vegetation of astonishing
luNuriance. The forests are commonly
ankle deep in water for mile after mile,
and, consequently, the animals found
there mostly inhabit the trees
Monkeys are exceedingly numerous. For
killing these tree-dwelling creatures the
blow gun is the best possible instrll-
ment, says the WaShingto Star. 1t is
made from peculiar kind of reed, and,
although eleven or twelve feet in
length, its weight is only Il pound and
half. 1t is provided, like rifle, with
Il lore sight and Il back sight, the latter
being made OF the teeth Of Il small
beast called the acouchi. The natives
are most careful respecting the
StralShtneSS of their blow guns, and
never allow them to lean against any
thing lest they should be warped. The
arrows employed are made from the
lear ribs OF Il kind of palm, made to lit
the bore OF the gun by Il wrapping of
wild cotton fastened with fiber of silk
grass. Great art is required to put on
the cotton properly. The arrow is
about ten inches long, no thicker than
Il crow quilt, and at one end is brought
to Il sharp point us sharp Us Il needle by
scraping it between the keen-edged,
saw like teeth of the pirai fish One
half OF Il par;li jaw is always suspended
to the CULVER.
/ The vegetable poison used for en-
VenOmlnS the arrow Is called "curari."
1t is extremely powerful and will kill Il
man within Il few minutes when in
roduced into the circulation by an ar
row point, though it is harmless when
swallowed. 1t is very difficult to pro-
cure the strongest 'curari' from the
natives, who are most unwilling to part
with it. The arroWhcadS are kept care
fully separate from the shafts as Il pre-
caution against accidents, the savages
themselves being very much afraid of
the pOiSOns which they employ. The
secret of preparing the poison is hand
ed down by the medicine men from gen
Grafton to generation, and the common
p 'opic are not permitted to know it.
First must be sought the curali vine.
which is closely allied to the tree which
furnishes strychninc, and to the upaS tree
from which the DyakS of Borneo get the
poison for their arrows. When the
poison maker has found the cuIari he
looks for two dubious plants, the stems
Of which yield Il glutinous juice.
Another vegetable ingredient is Il bit
ter root, commonly used by these
Slva&cS i'll poisoning water for the pur-
pose of catching fish 70 the mixture
( composed Of these elements the mcdi-
cine man adds two kinds of venOmous
ants and the poison fangs Of two deadly
species Of snakes. The whole is allowed
to simmer over Il fire. the snakes fangs
and ants being pounded and thrown into
the pot. The boiling is continued until
the poison is reduced to Il thick brown
syrup. Finally a few arrows are dipped
eXperimentally in the poison and its eff
feet is tried upon some animal or bird.
If satisfactory the poison is poured into
q spherical carthenWare pot, in which it
! is kept, covered over with leaves, to
exclude air and moisture.