Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1909-11-24
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LISsOo NATIVES
ON cHINA-eURMESE BORDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen and Although
Cowardly Their Use of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
midable as Foes

On the wild frontier between China
and British Burma is barbarous
trlbe which has no civilized superyi.
SIGN George Forrest, an English
traveller, thus, describes the chief
weapon of these people:
II | had to suggest title for a
book on the upper Salwin l should
call 1t The Land Of the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon of
tie country and the Lissoo tribe.
every Lissoo with any pretensions
to chic possesses at least two of these
weapons-one for everyday use in
hunting and the other for war. The
httle children play with miniature
crossbows. The men never leave their
nuts for any purpose whatever with
out, their crossbows; when they 20 to
sleep The 'nukung' is hung over their
heaaS, and when they die it is hung
owe: h>i: graves.
ihe largest crossboys have a span
OF fully five feet, and require a pull of
tully 30 pounds to string them. The
DOW Is made of a species of wild null
perry of great toughness and fiexi-
Dlllty; the stock, some four feet long
In the war bows, is usually of wild
pium wood; the string is of plated
ben'p and the trigger Of bone.
-" arrow, Of 16 TO IS inches, is OF
s. Bamboo, about four times the
thic'.T css of an ordinary knitting nee
die. Hardened and pointed; the actual
b.'"' = bare for quarter to one-third
O. ap i'|h. then for fully an inch the
a""HW IS ripped to half its thickness,
a. "N al portion poison is placed.
'i.is r.:s0n is invariably a decoc-
I ~ w Sd from the tubers OF
ares - "nitum which grows on
f.a s. ra'f'' : Mt an altitude Of 5000 to
= o" t"'. The poison is mixed with
r'*'n, or some vegetable gum, to the
C - '1Ac. ~ putty, and Is then
sm"a"ei IN re Eotched point.
: =; - is supplied by a strip
OF H. 80. -" folded into a tra,rular
form mrI FED in a notch at the end
or me arrow. with the point of the
angle outward.
ne reduction in thickness Of the
arrow where the poison is placed
causes the point to break off in the
body of any one whom 1t strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
a horse a wound is invariably fatal.
Free and immediate incision is the
usual remedy when wounded on
limb or feshy part Of the body: but
at Cheng ka the uncle of the Lao-wc
chief showed us preparation which
resembled opium dross. and which he
said was az effec'iya antidote.
with few exceptions the Iissoo
seemed to - 10 he arrant towards.
but the crossh2w ard Doisoned arrow
is certainly a most diabolical weapon.
An arrow from war bow will pierce
deal board an inch thick at. 70 or
~ yards. Some Of the Tsekou natives.
were 80 expert that they could hit a
mark four inches In diameter repeat
ed'v at 60 to 80 yards.
AS no ore goes anywhere without
MS crossbow and bearskin culver full
OF Hcisoned arrows. and as every vii.
laGe Is at feud with every other viii
lago. mutual suspicion is inevitable.
IN open fight the Lissoo are usual
~ careful to keep at a respectrul dis
tance from each other and behind on
hide shields which protect the whole
body. But ". bn't'e IS rare. murder
and sudden death by ambush in the
jungle are common"