Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-01-18
EXPERT WITH ROWS
WEAPONS OF LISSOO. NATIVES
ON cHINA-BURMESE DoRDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen ard Although
Cowar6ly Their Use of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
mdabIe as Foes.

On lne wiz lTcHuer Dei Ncen emma
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 | lad To suggest title for a
book on the upper Salwin | should
call it The Land of the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon of
the country and the Lissoc tribe.
Every Lissoo with any Dretensions
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 Tor any purpose wha aver with
out their crossbows; when they go TO
sleep the 'nukung' is hung over their
heads, and when they die il is hung
over III ;r graves.
The 'argest crossboYs have a span
OF fully five feet, and require a pub OF
fully 35 pounds to string them. The
DOW Is made Ct a species O. wild null
berry of eroai toughness and fexi.
ollity; tie 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 bon".
The arrow, of 16 10 1S 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 irch, then for fully an inch the
arrow Is stripped to half its thickness.
and on that portion poison Is placed
This poison is invariably. decoc.
tion exi' "sSed from the tuFers of a
species II ""Cr:ium. which .,rows on
those ranges at an altitude or 5000 to
10000 feet. The "uison is mixed with
resin, cr some y"&stable gum. to the
consistency CT unity, and is then
smeared on the notched point.
The feather is supplied By strip
OF bamboo leaf folded into a ,rangular
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 or in the
BODY OF any one whom II strikes, and
as each carries enough poison to kill
horse wound is invariably fatal.
Free and immediate incision Ia the
usual remedy when wounded on
limb or feshy part Of the bcdy; but
at Cheng' ka the uncle Of the Lao-wo
chief showed us a preparation which
resembled opium dross. and which he
said vas an effective antidote.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to 80 TO be arrant towards.
but the. crossbow and poison arrow
Is certainly a most diabolicaI Weapon.
An arrow from a war bow will pierce
deal board an inch thick ut 70 or
20 yards. Some Of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they could hit a
mark four inches in diameter repeat.
edly et so to 80 wards.
AS no one goes anywhere without
his cI7ssbow and bearskIn CULVER full
OF poisoned arrows, and as every vii
lage is at feud with every o'her VII
lage, mutual suspicion is inevi able.
I'm open fight the Liscoo ar, usual.
ly careful 10 keen at a Iespe 'ul dis.
tance from each other and behind OK.
hide shields which protect the whole
body. But " battle Is rare. murder
and sudden death by ambush In the
Jungle are common"