Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1909-10-26
EXPERT WITH COWS
WEAPONS OF LISSCO NATIVES
ON CKlNA-BURMESE BORDER.
Are Spencid Marksmen and Although
CcWarcly Their Use Of Poisoned
Arrows MaEcs Them For.
midabIe as Fees.

On the wild frontier between China
and British Burma IS barbarou3
tribe which has 10 civilized supervi-
sion. George Forrest, an English
Traveller, thus describes the chief
weapon OF these people:
IF | had to suggest title for a
book on the upper Saiwin | should
call ii The Land of the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon Of
the country and the Lissoo tribe.
Every Lissoo with any pretcnsions
to cEic possesses at least two of these
weapons-one for everyday use in
hun i.S and the other for war. The
little children play with miniature
eros Shows. Tic men never leave their
nuts 10" am purpose whatever with
out their CrC&Sbows; when they 20 to
sleep The 'nukung' is hung over their
hc2cs. and when they die il is hung
owe 'E1ir graves
he st cro&GbCT have n span
OF fully five feet, and require a phil OF
fully 80 pounds to string them The
DOW Is made Of species OF wild null
perry OF great lou lMnCss ard nexi-
Dlil'y; the STOCK, SOM four feet long
IN the war bows, is usually of wild
plum wood; The string is of plated
hemp AID the TRIGGER OF bone.
Fhc &rrcw, Of Is 80 S inches, is of
sn'!i bamboo, abou: r"Lr times the
thic|n"s5 Of an ordinary knitting nee.
die, hardened and poin;c!; The actual
pert $ bare for Il qua 80" TO ofc-:hird
OF an i'"h, then fer fully an inch the
AFRO" is stripped 10 half its thickness,
ana on hat portion rC:acn IS raced.
TITS poison is invariably a dacoc-
lion expressed from the tuhcrs Of a
species Of acCnitun. which grows on
tECSo ranges n an altitude Of s 900 to
lohH" feet. The rOiSCn IS mixed with
rCs:n or some vegetable gun TO the
consistency CT putty. ara is then
smcarei on the rCtched point.
hC 'f@atn,:' is SUPPLIED b. n strip
Of bamboo leaf folded into a triangular
form and tied in n notch at the end
OF the arrow. with the point of the
nn"l" outward
he reduction in thickness of the
arrow where the poison is placed
causes the point to break off in tic
DuN% OF any one when it strikes, am
as each carries enough poison to Kill
morse wound is invariably fa:al.
Free and immediate incison IS tic
usual remedy v'heT wounded on n
limb or fcshy part of the body: but
al ChenEEa the uncle Of the Lao-wo
chief showed lis a preparation which
rcS"mblcd Op''1m dogs and which he
said was az effective "n;idOte.
with few EXCEPTIONS the Liseoo
seemed to II" TO ho arrant towards,
but tho crO*sbNw a'd poisoned arrow
Is certainly Il meg CiahOlica' woanoo.
An arrow from a v'r bow will pierce
deal board an inch thicl: ut 70 or
so Yards. Some cf the Tsekou natives
wore so cXncH hat they could hit a
mark four inches in diameter repeat-
cdlN at GO to SO Yards.
AS no one gees anywhere without
his croEsbOw and bearsktn culver full
o. poisoned arrows, and as every vii
lac" is at fcud with every other vii
lag". mutual suspicion is inevitable.
IN orcn fight the Liscoo arc usual.
~ careful to keep at respectful dis.
lance from each other and behind OK
ma" shields which protect the whole
body. But if battle is rare, murder
and sudden death by ambush in the
jungle are common"
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