Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-03-19
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LISSoo NATIVES
ON cHINA-euRmEsE BORDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen and Although
CowardIy Their Use of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
midabIe az Foes.

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
book on the upper Salwin 1 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 70: war. The
little children play with miniature
crossbows. The men never leave their
nuts Tor 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
Owe: heir graves.
fhe largest crossboTs have a span
OF tul!y five feet, and require a pull OF
tully 50 pounds to string them. The
DO" is made of species Of wild mul.
perry OF great toughness and flexi.
blllty; 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.
fhe arrow, Of 16 10 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 10 one-third
o. an inch, then for fully All inch the
arrow is stripped 10 half its thickness.
ana IN that norton poison IS placed.
IRIS poison is invariably a decoc.
tl"h express :cd from the tui ers OF a
s""c'e 'es o. a"Cnitum. which grows on
tics" ranges a an altitude of 5000 to
10000 feet. The rUison is mixed with
resin or some vegetable gum. to the
cohSi|CncN 0. nntty. and is then
smeared on the hutched pC'nt.
he feather is supplied by a strip
OF bamboo leaf folded into a triangular
form and tied in n notch ar the end
OF the arrow. with the point of the
angle outward.
me reduction in thickness of the
arrow where the poison is placed
causes the point to break "f in the
hnaY OF any one when it strikes. and
as each carries enough poison IN kill
a borse wound is invariably fatal.
free and immediate incisiCu Is the
usual remedy when wounds, ii on
limb or feshy part of the body: but
at ChenGka the uncle of the Lao-wo
chlei showed IFS a preparation which
reS@mblcd opium drcss. and which he
said was an effective antido'e.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to - 10 be arrant towards,
but the crossbow and poisoned arrow
Is certainly a. most diabolical weapon.
An arrow from a war bow will pierce
a deal board an inch thick ut 10 or
SO yards. Some of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they could hit
mark four inches in diameter repeat.
edly at so to so yards.
AS no one gees anywhere without
his crossbow and bearskin culver full
of poisoned arrows, and as every vii.
Iaee Is at feud with every o her vii.
lage. mutual suspicion is inevitable.
I'm open fight the Lissoo are usual.
~ careful to keep at respe ,fful dis.
tance from each other and behind OK.
hide shields which protect The whole
body. But If battle is rare. murder
and sudden death by ambush in the
jungle are common"