Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-03-11
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
midable as Foes.


and British Burma is barbarous
tribe which has no civilized supervi-
sion. George Forrest, All 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 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 il is hung
over their graves.
he largest crossboHs have a span
OF fully five feet, and require a pull OF
fuiiy 80 pounds 10 string them. The
DOW is made Of species OF wild mul.
perry of great toughness and flexi.
bility; 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
or an inch. then for fully an inch the
arrow is stripped to half its thickness.
and on that portion poison is placed.
This poison is invariably a decoc.
ton expressed from the tube"s of
snccies Of acOnitu!n. which grows on
tnose ranges al ar altitude O! 5000 to
lO.d0O feet. The nUison is nixed with
resin, or some vegetable gum. to the
consistency cf putty, and is then
smeared on the notched point.
THE feather Is supplied b. strip
Of bamboo leaf folded into a triangular
form and tied in a notch at the end
OF 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 of i'm the
BODY or any one whom II strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
a horse wound is invariab'y fatal.
Free and immediate incision Is the
usual remedy when wounded on
limb or fieshy part Of the b";lv: but
at Cheng ka the uncle of the T.ao-wo
chlef showed us preparation which
resembicd opium dross. and which he
said was ar effective antidote.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to IS TO be arrant towards.
nut the crossbow and poisoncd arrow
Is certainly most diabolical weaDon.
An arrow from war bow will pierce
deal board an inch thick at 70 or
80 yards. Some of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they could hit
mark four inches in diameter repeat
edly at go to 80 yards.
AS no one goes anywhere without
his crossbow and bearskin culver full
Of poisoned arrows. and as cvn..v VII.
Iage Is at feud with every other vii.
lage. mutual suspicion Is inevitable.
In open fight the Lissoo are usual.
ly careful to keep at a respectful 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" =.