The Greenville times., 1897-05-19
A REMARKABLE WEAPON.
ldntlng In the Falkland Islands Without
Gun, Powder or Shot,


To go on a wild goose hunt without
gun, writes c. f. Holden in the At
anita Constitution, would seem a very
angular proceeding anywhere except
the Falkland islands; but here such
I weapon was not necessary, as the
5oung men and boys used an equally
Effective projectile called the bird bo-
as, which is made Of the knuckle bones
If cattle, That employed in the cap
.ure Of wild horses is made of three
stone balls, connected by slnews four
)r five feet in length. A similar bolas
$ found among the Eskimos, the balls
being of ivory carved from the tusk Of
a walrus.
A young goose hunter crawled slow
y along between the tussocks occa-
sionally raising upon his hands and
knees to glance cautiously at the big
white geese which floated on the lake
There were al least fifty, some stand
ing on a little spit that reached out
nto the lake and against which, be-
ng of black bog, the white forms OF
birds stood out in striking relief, while
others were swimming idly about or
olungng their wedge-shaped heads into
he dark waters in search of the sue
eulent roots and fibers which consti-
uted their food.
1t was difficult work stalking game
in this way, as the nearer the bolas
.hrower approached the lake, the soft
er the ground became. Step by step
he crawled, crouching low, until, peer
ng through the tussock grass, he found
himself within $50 feet of the flock.
Between him and the game was a large
cluster of grass or weeds, which he
finally reached.
The little island was found to be
exactly suited for his purpose, the
grass being six or seven feet high in
the center, While from it, in the direc-
lion of the unsuspecting geese, the land
extended for twenty or thirty feet,
almost devoid of vegetation. Wringng
The black wood-stained water from his
clothes the hunter arranged the bolas
taking the small ball in his right hand
and swinging the other over his! left
arm all ready to throw, then plunged
carefully into the grass. Slowly he
worked his way until he could see the
geese through the green and yellow
screen, barely one hundred feet away;
then dashed from his cover and ran
down the little island shore at full,
speed, and before the astonished geese
could recover he was almost among
them. They scurried off in every dir
ection, some tapping furiously over the
water in vain efforts to rise; others
circling laboriously up into the air.
To the latter the young hunter de-
voted himself, and now stood leisurely
swinging the two balls around his head
with a slight upward angle. Faster
they flew until finally they disappeared
from sight; and then the air being
filled with geese, he released the ball
in his hand and the remarkable weapon
with its three balls widely stretched in
opposite directions, yet whirling viOl-
emily around, went whstling into the
air. Up it went, and with almost hu-
man intelligence seemed to glide in
among the birds and wound about them
like the coils of a snake. One bird was
stunned by blow from the ball, while
two others, completely entangled in the
cords, came fluttering down into the
water, where they were easily secured,
a little later being fastened to the
horse and on their way to the home Of
the herders, miles out on the moor
land.
The bolas is the natural weapon Of
the Spanish South Americans, who are
remarkably proficient and skillful with
It. They use it on the continent in
taking the ostrich following this swift
bird on horseback, whirling the three
or four balls in the air with very long
cords, and sending them so deftly that
they rarely miss, whirling tightly
around the legs of the bird and bring
ing it down.
On the Falkland islands the bone bo-
las is exclusively used by the young
Scotch herders, particularly by boys,
who in the chase of ducks and geese
are very expert.