Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-01-17
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LISSoo NATIVES
ON cHINA-sURMEsE BORDER.
Are SpIer did 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, an English
traveller, thus describes the chief
weapon C: these people:
b IF | lad 10 suggest a title for
book on the upper Salwin should
call it The Land of the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon of
the country and the Lissoo tribe.
Every Lissoo with any rretensions
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 whatever with
out their crossbows; when they go to
sleep the 'nukung' Is hung over their
heads. and when they die it, is hung
over the graves.
The largest crossbows have a span
OF fully five feet, and require pull of
1ully 80 pounds to string them. The
DOW Is made Of n species OF wild mul.
perry OF great toughness and f1exi-
plllty; the stock, some four !eet long
In the war bows, Is usually of wild
plum. wood; the string Is Of plated
hemp and the trigger of bono
The arrow, Of 16 TO Is 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 to nne-third
OF an inch, then for fully an inch the
arrow is. stripped to half Its thickness.
and on that portion poison is placed.
This noison is invariably decoc-
tfon exr ssed from the tubers OF a
species - a'Cnitum. which .ows on
those ra"Ses at ar altitude of 5000 to
lO.OOO h'"t The "Uisou Is nniyed with
resih' or "ome VEGETABLE gum to tire
consistency nf putry. and is then
smeared on the rotched MONT.
..:fhe feather is supplied by strip
OF bamboo leaf folded into a, I.angular
form ard tied in a notch at the end
or the arrow. with the point of the
angle outward. .i trcr .....:
The reduction in thickness of the
arrow where the poison, is. placed
causes the point to break off in the
body OF any one whom 1t strikes, and
as each carries enough poison to kill
r. morse wound is invariably fatal.
Free and immediate inciston Is the
usual remedy when wounded on "a
limb or fleshy part OF the .bcdy: but
at Cheng-ka the uncle Of the Lao-wo
chief showed MS preparation which
resembled" opium dross, ana which he
saidswas an effective antidote.." ,n.
';Wfth few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed. to "s to be arrant towards. |
but the crossbow and poisoned arrow
Is certainly a most diabolical weapon.
An arrow from a war bow will pierce
a deal board an inch thick at 10 or
oo yards. Some Of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they could hit a
Lark four inches in diameter repeat.
edly at so to 80 Yards. ,..... ..,.-e,
"As no one goes anywhere without
his orossbow and bearskin culver full
OF poisoned arrows. and as every vii.
lage Is at feud with every oiher vii.
Iage, mutual suspicion is inevitable.
I'm open fight the Lissoo are usual.
ly careful to keep at a rospectrrl 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"