The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-08
DEADLY BLOWPIPES AND
HOW THEY ARE MADE.

There are two kinds of blowpipes
In use among the Indians OF Guiana
saws Paul Fountain, in Longman's
Magazine THE first, called the poo
coma, is made of the oorah reed. This
,amarkable reed is only found in the
Orinoco river, and there only at certain
spots. The oorah grows to the night
If at least thirty feet, and the basal
Joint. Of which the blowpipe is made,
is fourteen or fifteen feet long, straight
as an arrow, and without a knot. The
inside of the reed is as smooth as glass;
hence the facility with which the dart
t4verses it. Very little of the reed Is
c., away, so that the pipe is about
Twelve feet long, and so strong that
when held horizontally there is not the
least bend in It.
The reed, having been carefully Sc
lerted. cut and prepared, is Enclosed IN
a small, thin, palm trunk, which is split
gu for the purpose, scraped thin as a
wafer, and then rejoined with the reed
n the center. This palm, for leng. h.
straightness and lightness is as remark
Able as the reed The whole pipe, WheA
fnished, never weighs more than a
pound and a half, or pound ana three-
quarters. Both the mouth, or muzzle,
and the breech are bell mouthed, the
bell pieces being fixed on.
There are front and back sights, the
latter formed of the curved teeth of the
Dasyprocta acouchi, species or ro-
dent somewhat larger in size than a
wild rabbit Two of the incisors OF this
animal are fixed on the breech OF the
pipe by means of war. The teeth De-
ing placed parallel to each other, and
very close together, the sight Is taken
between them. Sometimes the foresight
is made in the same way, but 1t more
often consists of the single sharp tooth
of a fish. 1t is placed about loot back
from the muzzle, the back sight pelng
affixed four feet along the tube, so that
II is a considerable distance from the
eye when aiming.
The missile used with this TUBE Is
uisnamed an arrow. 1t is really
/ dart, scarcely bigger than large darn
ing needle, and with a point quite as
fine. The dart is made of the rib OF
the coocooreete palm leaf, and is SO
heavy that it will sink in water. II
is about seven inches in length, not
thicker than a large needle, and the
usual number that an Indian carries
with him when shooting Is from 5oO
10 500 ready poisoned, but not pre-
rared with the necessary cotton plugs
These darts are strung together some
thing like the reeds on which soft
cheases are placed. and then rolled on
a stick and carried in culver, polhts
upmost. it being requisite to protect
them from every chance of being brok-
On or dulled. To protect the hand when
handling them the top of the stick is
furnished with a small, WheeillKe
shield
The fine points are given 10 the
darts by means of the teeth of the de-
vilhsh (SerrasaImus piraya), and the
cotton with which they are plugs I'd
before use is found growing wild. 1t Is
bound to the base of the dart win
thread made of silk grass. this thread,
with wax obtained from several trees,
being largely used also in making the
blowpipe. The skill used in binding the
plug of cotton to the dart must De
great, or it will not fly true and far
when shot. The Indian never carries
mora than five or six ready plugged,
and when these are lost he must draw
others from the culver and plug them.
He always tries them repeatedly be-
1 fore use, and perhaps never succeeds
in getting one to fly perfectly true.
But if it is only a few inches out OF
hieht, like a riheman, in aiming ne
/ makes allowance for this inaccuracy,
and it proves to be of little moment
The distance to and accuracy with
which these darts are shot are simply
wonderful. though the darts do not
strike with any great force. The death
Of the game is occasioned, not by the
impact, but by the poison with which
the dart is tipped. This poison lodges
in a tiny groove cut, or, rather
scratched, in the dart for the pur-
pose of affording it a Judgement, ana
also in the notch cut near the tip.
so finely pointed is the dart that
it will penetrate the flesh on mere
touch, and if any animal, such as
monkey, irritated by the prick. endeav-
oys to draw it from the wound. 1t
breaks at the notch, and leaves the
fatal jag behind.
There is d knack in blowing the
darts from the pipe. l have succeed
ed III propelling them about 100
yards and l have never seen a Flu
ropean send them further, but the
Indians puff them double that dis
lance, and at 100 to $50 yards will hit
mark only a few inches square.
have seen native marksmen who could
hit parrots and toucans at the last
distance once in two or three shots.
When d dart has been shot, if 1t
misses its mark the Indian takes great
pains to find it, on account of the
danger it is to persons walking near
the spot, for, if trodden on it is like
ly to be as fatal as the bite of the
most Venomous snake. l have formed
The opinion that the woorali poison
used to tip the darts owes it's great
Nruence to the venom of snake
which, l think, is mixed with it; but
need not discuss that matter here.
Although it is so light, the blowpipe
is clumsy weapon to handle, OH ac-
count of it's great length, and it is
easily damaged The slightest wrench
or knock renders it useless, and the
Indian is most careful to avoid ac-
Qdents of this kind. He carries the
tuhe in vertical position, never leans
II against a tree or places it on the
ground without being sure that it will
ne puerfectly fiat, and when it is not
IN use it is suspended, in an upright
position, to the bough of tree, or to
post erected near the hut for the
purpose.
The darts must fit the tube closely
enough to resist the passage of the
uhest stream of air, and yet SO loosely
dS TO traverse it easily, and the at
dchlng of the cotton plugs is a
i Troublesome business. which often
occupies the Indian for hours at sit
ing, When the dart is placed in the
lube it is pushed up with a small
SUCK distance of about fourteen in
ghes from the mouthpiece, At this
Instance from the mouth the greatest
,orce of the breath is obtained, but it
Is matter of much practice to man
sse the breath properly. A steady,
o oss prolonged puff has more
erect than short sharp one.