Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-01-13
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LISSOO NATIVES
ON cHINA-sURMEsE BORDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen ard Although
Cowardly Their Use of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
midabIe as Foes.

On the wild frontier bet Ycen 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 | should
! call it The Land OF the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon of
the country and the Lissoo tribe.
Every Lissoo with any nretensions
to chic possesses at least two Of these
weapons-one for everyday use in
hunting and the other for var. The
little children play with miniature
crossDows. The men never cave their
nuts for any purpose wha. sver with
out their crossbows; when laey go 10
sleep the 'nukung' is hum over their
heads. and. when they die il is hung
owe" III. = graves.
The largest crossbOws have a sDan
OF fully five feet. and require "A pull OF
/ tully 35 pounds TO string tenn. The
DOW is made CT species o. Wild mul.
perry CT sr@at toughness and fiexi
ollity; tie stock, some fou" ieat long
In the war bows, is usual OF wild
plum wood: the string is 81 plated
hemp and the trigger of bon".
The arrow. CT 16 to Is inc les, is OF
, split bamboo, about four times the
thickness of an ordinary knitting nee
die, hardened and pointed; tie actual
point is bare for a quarter e. one.third
OF an Inch, then for fully al; inch the
arrow Is stripped 10 half its thickness.
and on that portion poison !; placed
This Tc:sCn l.. Invariably dccoc
tlon eX - ON the tuI rs of
sDac:es ~T''" -. which rows on
those r'-'"' n! =" altitude nt 5000 to
10000 - r." tison is r,xed with
rcs'h' or F""i" 60 table gu I. TO the
consist'!.c" rf .n'.y. and Is then
! smeare1 on Tie ICtched PCT.
THE 'faathe"' is supplied h. a strip
ot bambno leaf folded into a angular
! form and tied in a notch al the end
OF the arrow. with the poini of the
angle outward.
The reduction in thickness of the
arrow where the poison is placed
causes the point to break o. in the
body OF any one whom it str!'-es. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
a horse wound is invariably fatal.
Free and immediate incision Is the
usual remedy WHEN wounded on
limb or feshy part of the b~iy: but
at Chcng ka the uncle of the Lao.wo
ch1ef showed us preparation which
resembled opium dross. and which he
said was an Cffe2tive antidote.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to ''H 20 be arrant towards.
but the crossb0w and poisoned arrow
is er;ainly mCst diabolicar veapon.
An arrow from war bow will pierce
deal board an inch thick ut 70 or
80 yards. Some OF the Tsekou natives
were so expert tfat they cou'i hit
mark four inches in diameter repeat.
edly at 60 to 80 Yards.
LAS no one goes anywhere without
his crossbow and bearskin duYer full
OF poisoned arrows. and as evary vii.
lage is at feud with every o. her vii.
lage, mutual suspicion Is inevI. able.
I'm open fight the Lissoo ar usual.
~ careful TO keep at a respe 'rul 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 I'm the
Jungle are common"