Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-01-14
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LISSoO NATIVES
ON CHlNA-BURMEsE BoRDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen and Although
Cowardly Their Use of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
midable as Foes.

On the wild frontier 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:
If | had to suggest title for a
book on the upper Salwiu should
call 1t The Land of the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon of
the country and the Lissco tribe.
Every Lissoo with any nretensions
to chic possesses at least two Of these
weapons-one fer 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 ihey go to
sleep the 'nukung' is huns over their
heads, and when they die ii is hung
over lh II graves.
The largest crossbovs have a span
of fully five feet, ard require a pull of
fully 35 pounds TO string tenn. The
DOW Is made Of species a wild mul.
berry OF great toughness and fexi.
bility; tie stock, some fou" feet long
In the war bows, is usual.y of wild
plum wood; the string is If plated
hemp and The trigger of bon.
The arrow, of 1G 10 Is inches, is of
split bamboo, about four times the
thickness of an ordinary knitting nee
ole, hardened and pointed; lie actual
point is bare for quarter to nne-third
OF an inch. then for fully a. inch the
arrow Is stripped to half its thickness.
and on that portion poison 5 placed.
This nn!sna is invariably a decoc.
non eX s Cd '"on the tui.rrs of
sHecles '':".:u .. which rows on
those r.nc's n =" altitude " 5000 to
10000 f"''t Th" "TisOn is r''xed with
resin, or SC'.i" table gul to the
consist'nc? @" .G!y. and is then
Smeared on the "utched pet.
The feathe" is supplied b. strip
OF bamboo leaf folded into a rangular
form and tied in a notch a. 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 OF in the
booy or any one whom it str;'tes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
horse wound is invariably fatal.
free and immediate incision is the
usual remedy when wounded on
limb or feshy part Of the b~dy: but
at Ch2ngka the uncle of the Lao-wo
chlef showed lis a preparation which
resem1led opium dross. and which he
said was an effective antidote.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to - 10 be arrant towards.
Dut the crossbOw and poisonC arrow
Is certainly most diabolica' weapon.
An arrow from war bow Will pierce
a deal board an inch thick Mt 20 or
SO yards. Some OF the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they cou'd hit
mark four inches in diameter repeat.
edly at go to 80 Yards.
"As no one goes anywhere without
MS c"ossbow and bearskin culver full
OF poisoned arrows. and as eYery vii.
lage is at feud with every her vii.
lage, mutual suspicion Is ineviab
I'm open fight the Lissoo ar, usual.
~ careful to keep at respe ruI dis.
tance froiG 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"