Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-01-12
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LISSoo NATIVES
ON cHINA-RURMESE EoRDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen and Although
Cowardly Their Use Of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
mldable az 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 a title for a
book on the upper Salwin 1 should
call 1t 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 wha, ever with
out their crossbows; when they go to
sleep the 'nukung' is hung over their
heads, and when they die it is hung
over their graves.
The largest crossbovs have a span
OF fully five feet, and require a pull OF
Iully 30 pounds to string them. The
bow is made of a species Of wild mul.
perry OF great ioughness and fiexi.
ollity; 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 bora
The arrow, of Is to 18 inches, is Of
split bamboo, about four times the
tnicFness of an ordinary knitting nee
ole, hardened and pointed; the actual
point is bare for quarter to one.third
OF an irch, then for fully al inch the
arrow Is stripped to half its thickness
and on that portion poison is placed.
This poison is invariably a decoc.
uon exresSed from the tul crs Of
species = "rCE'turu, which grows on
those '"%'% $ nj am altitude Of 5000 to
10000 i."N Tb" rutson is mixed with
resin, or some r"setable gum, to the
cohsisf' "cN e. "'ut'y, and Is then
Smearel IN tic "ctched point.
iht fSathe"' IS supplied by strip
OF bamboo leaf folded into triangular
form and tied in a notch at the end
or the arrow. with the point of the
angle outward.
The reduction in thickness Of the
arrow where the poison "a placed
causes the point to break OF in the
Dody cf any one whom 1t strikes, and
as each carries enough poison to kill
a morse a wound is invariably fatal.
Free and immediate incision Is the
usual remedy when wounded on
limb or fiesby part of the body: but
at Cheng'ka the uncle Of the Lao-wo
ch1ef showed us a preparation which
resem bled opium dross. and which he
said was an effective antidote.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to - 10 be arrant towards
but the crosshow and poisoned arrow
Is certainly most diabolica' weapon.
An arrow from a war bow VIII pierce
a deal board an inch thick at 70 or
~ yards. Some Of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they could hit a
mark four inches in diameter repeat.
edly at so to 80 Yards.
AS no one gees anywhere without
MS crossbow and bearskin culver full
OF poisoned arrows. and as every vii
Iage Is at feud with every o'her vii
lage. mutual suspicion is inevitable.
I'm open fight the Lissoo arc usual.
ly careful 70 keep at respa tful dis.
tance from each other and b,hind OK
hide shields which protect tie whole
body. But If battle Is rare murder
and sudden death by ambush in the
jungle are common"