Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-01-20
EXPERT WITH COWS
WEAPONS OF LIsSoO NATIVES
ON ctIlNA-eURMEsE aoRpCR.
Are Splendid Marksmen aad Although
Cowar0iy Their Use of POISONED
Arrows Makes Them For
mioabIe as Foes.

On the Wild 1rCntier between China
and British Burma IS barbarous
tribe which has 10 civilized supervi-
sion. George Forrest, ali English
traveller, t:ius describes the chief
weapon Cf these people:
III | t"a u suggest lille for a
book on the upper SalwiL should
call 1t The Land OF the Irossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon OF
the country and the Lissoo tribe.
Every Lissoo with any lratensions
TO chic Possesses at least tM0 of these
weapons-one for everyday use in
hunting and the other for war. The
little children play with miniature
crossbows. The men never teave their
nuts Tor any purpCEy wha yer with
out their crossbows: when hey 60 to
sleep the 'nukung' is hung over their
heads, and when they die il is hung
over ih' n graves.
The !argest crossbows have span
OF fully five feet, and require. a null of
iuliy 80 pounds to string tAem. The
DOW Is made of a species o. Wild mul.
perry OF great tcugEness and nexi.
oility; tie stock, some four feet long
In the war bows, IS usually of wild
plum wood; the string is mf plated
hemp and the trigger of boz.
TIhe arrow, of 16 to IS inches, is of
spht bamboo, about four times the
thickness of an ordinary knitting nee.
ule' hardened and pointed: ihe actual
point Is bare for a quarter to one-third
or an frch, then for fully a.. inch the
arrow Is stripped to half It's hickness
and on that portion poison is. placed.
This poison is invariably a decoc.
ZION ex"'"ss"d from the tut e-s of
species If H"cn'tum. which rows on
those r:nG'& 6 81 an altitude 0r 5000 to
10000 feet The nuison is n,:xed with
resin. CT some r":"tabIe gun. to the
consistency cf "ut'y, and is then
smeared ON the Eotched po'nt.
fhe feather is supplied b. a strip
OF bamhoo leaf folded into a angular
form and tied in a notch az the end
OF the arrow. with the pon. of the
angle outward.
The reduction in thickness of the
arrow where the poison Is placed
causes the point to break CT in the
body OF any one whom 1t strikes. and
So" Soi iISo 'nOuSn poison TO XIII
a morse wound is invariably fatal.
free and immediate incisior Is the
usual remedy when wounded on a
limb or fieshy part OF the bciy: but
at Chcng'ka the uncle Of the Lao-wo
ch1ef showed us a preparation which
resembled opium dross, and which he
said was an effective antidote.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to 80 10 be arrant towards.
nut the crossbow and poisorcd arrow
Is certainly most diabolicaI .yeapon.
An arrow from war bow will pierce
q deal board an inch thick NJ 70 or
So yards. Some Of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they cou'd hit n
mark four inches in diameter repeat-
edly at go to 80 Yards.
"As no one gees anywhere without
MS cr0ssbow and bearskin uir'qer full
Or poisoned arrows. and as e"orv vii
age Is at feud with every c'rer vii.
age, mutual suspicion is inevitable.
I'm omen fight the Lisscc a. usual.
" careful to keep at a respe -suI dis.
lance from each other and bn',ind OK.
hide shields which protect the whole
body. But II battle is rare. murder
and sudden death by ambush in the
Jungle are com NON