Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-03-07
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LISsoo NATIVES
ON cHlNA-BuRMEsE BORDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen and Although
cowardIy Their Use of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
midable az 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 of these people:
''n l had to suggest title for a
book on the upper Salwin I should
call 1t The Land of the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon o.
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
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 their graves.
Ihe largest crossboTs have a span
OF fully five feet, and require a pull of
FULLY 35 pounds to string them. The
DOW Is made OF species of wild mul.
perry OF great toughness and flexi-
plllty; the stock, some four feet long
In the war bows, is usually Of wild
plum wood; the string is Of plated
henip and the trigger of bone.
The arrow, of 16 to 18 inches. ia of
split bamboo, about four times the
thickness of an ordinary knitting nee
Ole, hardened and pointed: the actual
point Is bare for quarter 10 one-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 poison is invariably a decoc-
ton expressed from the tuEers of a
snecies Of a2cnitum, which grows on
tAose ranges at an altitude of 5000 to
10000 feet. The Doison Is mixed with
resin. or some vegetable gum, to the
consiTte ncT o. Dutty, and is then
smeared on the notched pc'nt.
The feather is supplied by strip
OF bamboo leaf folded into a triangular
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 pIaced
causes the point to break of in the
body OF any one whom it strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
horse wound is invariably fatal.
free and Immediate incisiCD Is the
usual remedy when wounded on
limb or feshy part Of the body; but
at Chengka the uncle Of the Lao-wo
chief showed us a preparation which
resembled opium dross, and which he
said was an effective antidc:e.
with few exceptions the Lfssoo
seemed to 10 to be arrant towards.
but the crossbow and poisoned arrow
Is certainly most diabolical weapon.
An arrow from war bow will pierce
deal board an inch thick at 20 or
30 yards. Some of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they could hit a
mark four inches in diameter repeat.
edly at 60 to 80 yards.
AS no one goes anywhere without
his crossbow and bearskin culver full
OF poisoned arrows, and as every vii.
lage Is at feud with every other vii.
lage, mutual suspicion is inevitable.
I'm open fight the Lissoo are usual.
ly careful to keep at a respectful dis.
lance 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"