Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-03-08
EXPERT WITK BOWS
WEAPONS OF LIsSoo NATIVES
ON cHlNA-BURMEsE BORDER.
Are Splendid marksmen and Although
cowardly Their Use Of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
midable az Foes.

On the W1ld 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 l had to suggest title for
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 pretensions
to chic possesses at least two of these
Weapons-one for everyday use in
hunting and the other for war. The
little children play with miniature
crossbows. The men never leave their
nuts for any purpose whatever with
out their crossbows; when they go to
sleep the 'nukung' is hung over their
heads. and when they die it is hung
over ;heir graves.
The largest crossboTs have a span
OF fully five feet, and require a pull OF
fully 35 pounds to string them. The
bow Is made OF species OF wild mul-
berry of great toughness and fexi-
bllity; the stock, some four feet long
In the war bows, is usually of wild
plum wood; the string is of plated
hemp and the trigger of bone.
The arrow, of 16 to 18 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 quarter to one-third
OF an inch. then for fully an inch the
arrow Is stripped to half its thickness,
and on that portion poison is placed.
ibis poison is invariably a decoc-
tlon expressed from the tuhers of a
snec'es or a"rnitum, which grows on
those ranges al an altitude cf 5000 to
10000 feet. The poison is mixed with
resin. or som" vegetable gum. to the
consistency o. putty, and Is then
smear6d on the notched pc'nt.
The feather is supplied by a strip
of bamboo leaf folded into triangular
form and tied in a notch at the end
or the arrow with the point of the
aDgle outward.
The reduction in thickness of the
arrow where the poison Is placed
causes the point TO break cff in the
body of any ono whom 1t strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
horse wound is invariably fatal.
Free and immediate incisiCn is the
usual remedy when wounded on
limb or fleshy part Of the bady; but
at Cheng-ka the uncle Of TIC Lao-wo
CHIEF showed us a preparation which
rescmbled opium dross, and which he
said was an effective antido;e.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to ''& TO be arrant towards,
but the crossbow and poisoned arrow
Is certainly a most diabolicai weapon.
An arrow from war bow will pierce
a deal board an inch thick ut 70 or
30 yards. Some Of the Tsekcu natives
were so expert that they could hit
mark four inches in diameter repeat
edly at so to so yards.
"As no one goes anywhere without
his crossbow and bearskin quiyer full
OF poisoned arrows, and as every vii
lage Is at feud with every o'her vii
lage. mutual suspicion Is inevi,able.
"1n open fight the Lissoo are usual
ly careful to keep at a respo rtful dis.
tance 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"