Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1909-11-26
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
midabIe as Foes.


On the wild frontier between China
and British Burma is a 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 title for a
book on the upper Salwin I should
call 1T The Land of the Crossbow.'
which is the characteristic weapon of
the country and the Lissoo tribe.
Every Lissoo with any pretensions
10 chlc possesses at least two of these
weapons-one for everyday use in
huntlng and the other for war. The
nt'le 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 'ruNung' is hung over their
heads, and when they die it is huny
owe heir sraves.
The largest crossbows have a span
or fully five feet, and require a pull Of
fully SO pounds to string them. The
DOW Is made OF species of wild null
perry of great toughness and fexi-
Dlllty; the stock, some four feet long
III the war bows, is usually of wild
piun wood; the string is Of plated
hemp and the trigger of bone.
'h" "r1ow, Of 16 to rs inches. is or
s0A' IN BOO, about four times the
thickness Of an ordinary knitting nee
die, hardened and pointed; the actua;
pHlht 'S bare for quarter to one-third
M ''"h zen for fully an inch the
a. =" is @'')ped 20 half it's thickness.
q" ~ i'?' Hor;ion poison is placed.
is " '"21 is Invariably decoc-
'"| rTH" -" S"om The tubers Of
es o. 9" ~' -um, which grows ON
os ranG - an altitude of 5000 to
T. /" "'' fe>1 re poison Is mixed with
rcs'n. or so";" vegetable gum, TO the
CO. 81 enc" - putty, and Is then
s.'' a|ed IN '" Hotchcd point.
g supplied by n strip
OF b9" - :01ded into a triangular
form a:d -! IN notch at the end
OF the arrcw 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 1t strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
horse a wound is Invariably fatal.
Free and immediate incision is the
usual remedy when wounded on
limb or fleshy part Of the body: but
al Chengka the uncle Of the Lao.wo
chief showed us a preparation which
resembled opium dress and which he
said was an e"eo'irn onidote.
with few executions the Lissoo
seemed to ''s - he arrant towards
but the crossbc"' al n0:snned arrow
Is certainly most diaboIical weapon.
An arrow from q war bow will pierce
deal board an inch thick at 70 or
81 yards. Some of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they could hit a
mark four inches in diameter repeat-
edJy at 60 to 80 yards.
"As no one goes anywhere without
MS crossbow and bearskin culver full
or poisoned arrows, and as every vii
lage Is at feuA with every other vii
lage, mutual suspicion Is inevitable.
I'm open fight the Lissoo are rsnar-
ly careful to keep at resra~tful dis.
tance from each other and behind OK
hide shields which protec' the whole.
body. But If battle 81 rare. murder.
and sudden death bv ambush in the
jungle are common"