Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-03-23
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LISSoo NATIVES
ON cHINA-BURMEsE BORDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen and Although
Cowardly Their Use of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
midable as Foes.

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:
II | had to suggest title for
book on the upper Salwin 1 should
call it The Land of the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristics weapon OF
the. country and the Lissco 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
htlle children play with miniature
crossbows. The men never leave their
nuts for any purpose whatever with
out their crossbows; whcr they go to
sleep the 'nukmg' is hung over their
hcadS. and when they die ii is hung
Owe heir graves.
The largest crossbows lave a span
OF fully five feet and requ:c a pull OF
luiIy 80 pounds to string lhem. The
90" Is made Cf a species ~ wild null
perry of grea; tOughness and flexi.
oillty; tie stock, some fou" feet long
IN 'he war bows, is usually. of wild
p!uih wood: the string is of Dlaited
henlp and the trigger of bCra.
The arrow, OF 16 TO is inches, is of
sn'lt bamboo, about four times the
thickness of an ordinary knitting nee.
die. hardened and pointed; The actual
pCint is bare for quarter &C. one-third
OF an inch. then fer fully al inch the
arrow is stripped 10 half its thickness
ana on that norton poison is placcd
'his poison is invariably a decoc
tloE "|0"cSS"d from the Iers of
s"PC.eS Cf """n'tnn. which .,rows on
t'cs" rang "a m altitude cf 5000 to
~ nN' feet The noison is mixed with
rcs'n. or som" vegetable gam. to the
co"sl "acN "Tt;y, and is then
slheared on ~" rotched pc'nt.
IN" f"ath"r' is supplied by a strip
OF bamboo leaf folded into a triangular
form and tied in a notch n, the cnd
OF the arrow. with the point of the
angle outward.
Fhe reduction in thickness of the
arrow where the poison is placed
causes the point to break Of in tho
b'dY OF any one whom 1t strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
morse a wound is invariably fatal.
fr"e and immediate incisiCn is the
usual remedy when wounded on a
iimb or feshy part of the body: but
at Cheng-ka the uncle of the Lao-wo
chlef showed us a preparation which
reSembled opium dross. and which nc
SAID was ar effective antido'c.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to ''s TO be arrant towards.
but the crosshow and poisoned arrow
is certainly a most diabolical weapon.
An arrow from war bow Will pierce
a deal board an inch thick at 20 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 uuiver full
OF poisoned arrows. and as every viii
Iage Is at feud with every other vii
lage, mutual suspicion is inevitable.
I'm open fight the Lissoo are usual.
~ careful to keep at n respe rtful 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"