Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1910-01-19
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEA?OES OF LISSOC NATIVES
ON CtilNA-BURMESE GOROER.
Are Splendid Marksmen a i Although
Cowaroly Their Use of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For
midabIe as Foes.

On the wild frontier be: Wcen China
and British Eu:ma is barbarous
tribe which has no civilized superv-
sion. George Forrest, al English
traveller, thus describes the chief
weapon Uf these people:
IF | Lad To suggest lie for
book on the upper Salwin should
call it The Land OF the Crossbow,'
which is the characteristic weapon OF
the country and the LissCO tribe.
Every LissOo with any nretensions
to chic possesses at least t#u OF these
weapons-one for everyday use in
hunting and the other for var. The
little children play with miniature
crossbows. The men never ieave their
nuts for any purpose wharyyer with.
out their crossbows: when. hey go to
sleep the 'nukunG' is huns over their
heads. and when they die il is hung
over III r graves.
The largest crossboxs lave a span
OF fully five feet, and requi:. pull of
1uily 80 pounds to string Ilem. The
DOW is made of species o. wild mul.
perry of great toughness and nexi.
bll1ty; tie stock. some fou" feet long
In the war bows, is usually of wild
plum wood; the string is uf plated
hemp and the trigger OF bon".
The arrow, of 16 TO 18 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 t. one-tAird
OF an inch. then for fully al inch the
arrow is stripped to half its thickness,
and on that portion poison ! ) placed.
This poison is invariably a decoc-
tlon expressed from the tulcrs of
species " n'Critum. which rows on
those ranges at an altitude oI 5000 to
lO,oOO feet. The nOison is n,ived with
resin, or some vegetable gun. TO the
consistency of putiy. and is then
smeared on the notched po;nt.
fhe feather is supplied BY a strip
OF bamboo leaf folded into a triangular
form and tied in notch a; the end
OF the arrow. with the point of the
angle outward.
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 it strikes. and
NhouSh pOlSOl 10 XIII
horse wound is invariably fatal.
Free and immediate incision is the
usual remedy when wounded ON
limb or fieshy part of the bcdy: but
at Cheng-ka the uncle Of the -.ao-wo
chief showed us a preparation which
resembled opium dross, and which he
said vas an effective antidote.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to -'s TO he arrant towards.
but the crossbow and poisoned arrow
IS certainly most diabolicaI veapon.
An arrow from a war bow will pierce
a deal board an inch thick at 20 or
SO yards. Some OF the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they cor'd hit n
mark four inches in diamete. repeat-
edly at so to so Yards.
AS no one gees anywhere without
his CT inssbow and bearskin uu'rer full
OF poisoned arrows. and as evrry vii.
lage is at feud with every C'her vii.
lage. mutual suspicion is inevi able.
I'm open fight the Lisgoo arr usual.
~ ca 'eful TO keep at respe 'rul dis.
tance from each other and br',ind OK.
hide shields which protect tho whole
body. Rut if battle Is rare. murder
and sudden death by ambush In the
jungle are conn non"