Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-01-27
THE GUNS OF GUIANA
SAVAGE SKILL In THE USE OF
TIE DEADLY BLOWPIPE.
POISONED, EEEDLELIKE DARTS BLOWN
WITH PRECISION ONE HUNDRED
YARrs-PoIsoNED ARROWS.

use among the Indians of Guiana. The
first, called the poocoona. is made OF
the oorah reed This remarkable reed
Is only found u the Orinoco river and
there only at certain spots. The oorah
grows to the height of 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 knot. The inside of the reed
is as smooth as glass. hence the facility
with which the dart traverses It. Very
little of the reed Is cut 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
lected, cut and prepared, is inclosed In
small, thin. palm trunk. which is
split open for the purpose, scraped thin
as wafer and then reioined, with
the reed in the center. This palm for
length, straightness and lightness is as
remarkable as the reed. The whole
pipe when finished never weighs more
than a pound and half or a pound
and three-quarters. Both the mouth, or
muzzle, and the breech are bell mouth
ed, the bell pieces being fixed on
There are frglt and back sights, the
latter formed of the curved teeth of the
Dasyprocta aeouchi, species of rodent
somewhat larger in size than a wild
rabbit. Two of the incisors of this ami
NAL are fixed on the breech of the pipe
by means of wax. The teeth being
placed parallel to each other and very
close together, the sight is taken be-
tween them. Sometimes the foresight
is made in the same way, but 1t more
often consists Of the single sharp tooth
of fish. 1t is placed about foot
back from the muzZle, the back sight
being affixed four feet along the tube,
so that it is considerable distance
from the eye when aiming.
The missile used with this tube is
misnamed an arrow. 1t is really a
dart scarcely bigger than large darn
ing needle and with 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. 1t is
about seven inches in length, not thick
er than a large needle, and the usual
number that an Indian carries with
him when shooting is from $50 to 500,
ready poisoned, but not prepared with
the necessary cotton plugs. These
darts are strung together something
like the reeds ON which soft cheeses
are placed ana then rolled on stick
and carried in a culver, points upmost,
it being requisite TO protect them from
every chance of being broken or dulled.
To protect the hand when handling
with a small. wheel-like shield.
The fine points are given to the darts
by means of the teeth of the devilfish
(Serasalmus pirava), and the cotton
with which they are plugged before
use is found growing wild. 1t is bound
to the base of the dart with thread
made of silk grass, this thread, with
wax obtained from several trees, he
ing largely used also in making the
blowpipe. The skill used in binding
the plug of cotton to the dart must be
great or it will not fly true and far
when shot
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 tiny groove cut, or, rather. scratch
ed, In the dart, for the purpose of af-
fording it Judgment, and 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 a
monkey irritated by the prick. endeav-
ors to draw it from the wound 1t
Breaks at the notch and leaves the fatal
jag behind.
There is a knack in blowing the
darts from the pipe. I have succeeded
in propelling them about a hundred
yards, and | have never seen Euro
pean send them farther, but the Indi-
ans puff them double that distance
and at 100 TO $50 yards will hit mark
only a few inches square. l have seen
native marksmen who could hit par
rots and toucans at the last distance
once in two or three shots.
When a dart has been shot, if it
misses its mark. the Indian takes great
pains to find it on account of the dam
ger it is TO persons walking near the
spot, for If trodden on it is likely to be
as fatal as the bite of the most venom
Gus snake. I have formed the opinion
that the woorall poison used TO tip the
darts owes its great virulence to the
venom of snake which, | think. is
mixed with it, but | need not discuss
that matter here.
The darts must fit the tube closely
enough to resist the passage of the
tiniest stream of air and yet so loosely
as to traverse it easily, and the attach
ing of the cotton plugs is troublesom
business, which often occupies the II
dian for hours at a sitting. Wl"u ~
1ar io ,0ia csJ in tho f,1ha II * ti.tsts- ,