Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-01-30
THE GUNS OF GUIANA
SAVAGE SKILL IN THE USE OF THE
DEADLY sLOWPIPE.

low Reeds-The EenOmous Arrow.
There are two kinds of blowpipeS in
use among the Indians of Guiana. The
FIRST, called the pOocoOna, is made OF
the Oorah reed. This remarkable reed
is only found in 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 a 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
50 strong that when held horizontally
there is not the least bend in it,
The reed. having been carefully Sc
leeted. cut and prepared, is inclosed in
a small thin. palm trunk, which is
split open for the purpose. scraped thin
as wafer and then rejoined. with
the reed in the center. This palm for
length, stFaightness and lightness is as
remarkable as the reed. The whole
pipe when finished never weighs more
than pound and a half or pound
and three-quarters. Both the mouth, or
muZzle, and the breech are bell mouth
ed, the bell pieces being fixed on.
There are front and back sights. the
latter formed of the curved teeth of the
Dasyprocta acOuchi, a species of rodent
somewhat larger in size than 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 it more
often consists of the single sharp tooth
OF fish. 1t Is placed about a foot
back from the muZZle, the back sight
being affixed four feet along the tube,
so that 1t is considerable distance
from the eye when aiming.
The missile used with this tube is
mIsnamed an arrow. 1t is really Il
dart. scarcely bigger than a large darn
ing needle and with n 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 large needle, and the usual
number that an Indian carries with
him when shooting is from $50 to 800
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 and then rolled on Il stick
and carried in CULVER, points upmost,
IL being requisite TO protect them from
every chdnce of being broken or duIled.
To protect the hand when handling
them the top of the stick is furnished
with small. wheeI-Iike shield.
The fine points are given to the darts |
by means of the teeth of the deyilfish |
(Serasalmus pirava), and the cotton
with which they are plugged before
use is found growing wild. 1t is bound
to 1.-The base of the dart with thread
made of silk grass, this thread, with
wax obtained from several trees, be-
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 |
impact. but by the poison with which |
the dart is tipped. This poison lodges
in a tiny groove cut. or. rather. scratch |
ed. in the dart, for the purpose of af-
fording 1t a 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 IL any animal, such as a
irritated by the prick. endeav
ors to draw if from the wound it
breaks at the notch and leaves the fatal
jag behind.
There is a knack in blowing the
darts from the pipe. l have succeeded
in propelling them about n hundred
yards, and l have never seen a Euro
pean send them farther. but the Indi-
ans pun them double that distance
and at 100 to $50 yards will hit a 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 dan
ger it is to persons walking near the
|
as fatal as the bite of the most venom
GUS snake. ] have formed the opinion
that the woorall poison used 10 Zip the
darts owes its great virulence TO the
venom OF a snake which. l think. is
mixed with it, but l need not discuss
that matter here.
The darts must fit the tube closely
enough 10 resist the passage Of the
tiniest stream of air and yet so loosely
as to traverse ii easily. and the attach
Ing OF the cotton plugs IS troublesome
business, which often occupies the In
dian for hours at a sitting. When the
dart is placed in the tube il is pushed
up with a small stick Il distance of
about fourteen inches from the mouth
piece At this distance from the mouth
the greatest force of the breath is OBJ
tanned, but it is a matter of much prac-