Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-01-22
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF Lfssoo NATIVES
ON cRINA-BuRMEsE BORDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen and Although
co~ardiy Their u1s OF Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
mfdabie AZ Foes.

On tue WllQ IrO0t1er between CHINA
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: a-
IF l had to suggest a title for a
book on the upper Salwin should
call 1t The Land of the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon of
the country and the Lissoo tribe.
Every Lissoo with any nretensions
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
huts for any purpose wha, ever with
out their crossbows; when .ney go to
sleep the 'nukuns is hung over their
heads. and when they die it is hung
over III Il graves
The largest crossboYs have a sDan
OF fully five feet, and require a pull of
tully 35 pounds to string Lem The
DOW Is made of a species O wild mul.
perry of erGar .tOughness and fiexi.
bility; the stock, some four feet long
In the war bows, is usually of wild
plum wood; the string is uf plated
hemp and the trigger of boz.
The arrow, of 16 TO 18 inches. is of
split bamboo, about four times the
thickness OF an ordinary knitting nee
Ole, hardened and pointed; the actual
point Is bare for quarter t. one-third
OF an inch. then for fully a. inch the
arrow Is stripped to half it's hickness,
Ind on that portion poison 8 placed.
This poison is invariably a decoc-
ton eX0cessed from the tul'crs of a
species "f a"on:tum. which crows on
those ranges at IN altitude &C 5000 to
lO.O0O feet The poison is mixed with
resin, or some vegetable gu \, to the
consist encE Q! rutty, and Is then
smeared on the notched pC'nt.
"The feather is supplied by a strip
of bamboo leaf folded into a triangular
form and tied in a notch nt 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 on I'm the
body OF any one whom 1t strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
horse wound is invariably fatal.
Free and immediate incision is the
usual remedy when wounded on q
limb or feshy part of the body; but
at Cheng-ka the uncle OF the Lao-wo
chief showed us preparation which
resenbled opium dross. and which he
said was an effective antido'e.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to IS to be arrant towards.
but the crossbow and poison d arrow
Is certainly most diabolica weapon.
An arrow from a war bow VIII pierce
deal board an inch thick at 10 or
SO yards. Some Of the TsekCu natives
were so expert that they could hit a
mark four inches in diameter repeat-
edly ut so to 80 Yards.
"Ss no one goes anywhero without
his crossbow and bearskin uriver full
Of poisoned arrows, and as ""ery vii.
Iage Is at feud with every c'her vii.
Iage. mutual suspicion Is ine..itable.
II open fight the Lissoo nre usual.
" careful TO keep at resra .ful dis.
lance from each other and h hind OK.
hide shields which protect t'e whole
BODY. But II battle IS rare murder
and sudden death by ambush in the
Jungle are common"