Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1909-07-14
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LIssoo NATIVES
ON cHINA-BURMEsE BORDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen and Although
cowardly Their Use Of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
midabIe az Foes.

On the wild frontier between China
and British Burma is barbarous
tribe which has no civilized supervi-
sion. George Forrest, an English
traveller, thus describes the chief
weapon of these people: ~
IF / had to suggest a title for a
book on the upper Salwin I should
call it The Land Of the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon of
the country and the Lissoo tribe.
Every Lissoo with any 1pretensions
to chic possesses atleasts tHS Of these
weapons-one for everyday use. in
hunting and the other Tor war. The
little children play with miniature
crossPoWs. The men never leave their
huts Tor any purpose whatever with
out their crossbowB;; when. they go to
sleep the 'nukung. is hung over their
heads, and when they die 1t is hung
over their graves. ..
The largest crossbovs have a span
OF fully five feet, and require a pull Of
FULLY IS pounds to string them. The
bow Is made Of a species of wild null
berry of great toughness and flexi-
Dility; the stock, some four feet long
IN the war bows, is usually of wild
plum wood; the string ia of plated
hemp and the trigger Of bone.
The arrow, Of 16 to 1S inches, is of
split bamboo, about four times the
thickness of an ordinary knitting nee
die, hardened and pointed; the actual
point is bare for a quarter to one-third
or an inch, then for fully an inch the
arrow is stripped to half it's thickness,
and on that portion poison is placed.
This poison is invariably a decoc-
ton expressed from the tubers of a
species Of aconitum, which grows on
those ranges at an altitude of 5000 to
10000 feet. The poison is mixed with
resin, or some vegetable gum, to the
consistency of putty, and is then
smeared on the notched point.
The feather is supplied by a strip
OF bamboo leaf folded into a triangular
form and tied in a notch at the end
or the arrow. with the point Of the
angle outward.
The reduction in thickness of the
arrow where the poison is placed
causes the point to break off in the
body of any one whom it strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
a horse wound is invariably fatal.
Free and immediate incision is the
usual remedy when wounded on a
limb or feshy part of the body; but
at Cheng-ka the uncle of the Lao-wo
chief showed us a preparation which
resembled opium dross, and which he
said was an effective antidote.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to us to be arrant towards.
but the crossbow and poisoned arrow
Is certainly most diabolical weapon.
An arrow from a war bow will pierce
deal board an inch thick at 70 or
~ yards. Some of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they could hit
mark four inches in diameter repeat.
eddy at so to 80 yards.
"As no one goes anywhere without
his crossbow and bearskin culver full
or poisoned arrows, and as every vii.
lage Is at feud with every other vii
lage, mutual suspicion is inevitable.
I'm open fight the Lissoo are usual.
ly careful to keep at a respectful dis
lance from each other and behind OK
hide shields which protect the whole
body. But II battle is rare, murder
and sudden death by ambush in the
Jungle are common.