Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1908-12-23
LAND OF THE cRoSSBow.
The Deadly Poisoned Arrows Of the
liscoo S,arpaacoter.

me Deadly Poisoned Arrows Of the
Lissoo s,arpsaeoters.
On The Wild frontier betwecn China
and British Burma Is . barharous trii,.
Mhich has TO civilized supcrx ision.
Seorge Forrest an English traveller.
thus describes the chief weapon OF
these people: III bad 10 suggest \
Title for book on the upper Saiuln I
should cun Il The Land OF che ,rosx-
DOW. which Is the characteristic veap-
Gu or The country and the I.i5sco tribe.
Every i-lssoO with amy lrcscilsions 20
chic Possesses AT least two OF those
weapons-One for everyday TIE In bunt.
ing. the other for war. The ltilc chm.
dren play with miniature crossbov,s
The men never leave their huts for any
purpose whatever without their crosse
bows. When they 10 to sleep the mn.
kung IL hung over their heads. and
When they die II Is hung over their
graves. The largest crOssbows have a
span Of fully FIVE feet and rcn,lir,. a
pull OF fully thirty-five pounds 10 string
them. The bow is made OF a species OF
WHO mulberry OF great toughness and
neNlbility. The stock. some four feet
long in the war bows. IL usually OF
Wild plum woo6 The string is OF
plated hemp and the trigger II bone.
Ihc arrow. Of sixteen to eighteen
inches. Is of split bamboo about four
times the thickness of an ordinary
knitting needle. hardened and pointed
The actual Point Is bare for n quarter
10 one-third Of an inch. then for fully
an inch The arrow IS stripped 10 half ia
thickness. aud on this portion polson IS
placed
The poison is invariably 4 decoction
expressed from the tubcrs ~ n species
or aconi;um which ~ rvs on thcee
ranges AZ ~ altitude of roo To IOuGO
feet- The l'"iscn is icixed with rc:i:,
or some vegetable Enrl To lh, consist.
ency Of ic,ty and l.: ;hcn Snieared on
the notchcd point The feather e. s;,r-
Piled Icy strip Of bamboo leaf folded
INTO a triangular forra AMI tel il 4
notch 80 the end Of the arrow. with the
point OF the angle outward The re-.
ducuon in thickness OF the arrow
where the poison is placed causes the
point TO break Off I'm the body OF any
one whom II strikes. and. rs each car
tNiSVl ~ Nil II NfrEC-
q wound Is Invariably fatal. Free aud
immediate incision Is the usual remedy
when wounded ON a limb or fcshy part
OF the body. but ut Chcngka the uncle
OF the Laowo chief showed us n pron-
aration which resembled opium drosS
and which he said was IN effective
antIdote
with few exceptions the I.iSsoo
seemed TO us 10 be arraut towards
but the crosshow and poisoned arrow
are certainly most diabolical weapons
An arrow from war bow will pierce
n deal board an inch thick NJ seventy
or eighty yards. Some Of the Tsekou
natives were SO expert that they could
hit mark four inches i'm diameter re-
peatedly ri sixty to eighty yards. As
no one goes anywhere without his
crossbow and his bearskin culver full
OF poisoned arrows and as every vii
lage IS nj feud with every other vii
lage mutual suspicion Is inevitable.
In open fight the Lissoo are usually
careful TO keep Mt n respectful distance
from each other and behind oxhide
shields which protect the whole Of the
body. But II battle IS rare. murder
and sudden death by ambush In the
jungle are common"