Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1910-02-25
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LIssoo NATIVES
ON cHINA.BURMEsE BORDER.
Are Splendid marksmen and Ai'n'''"
cowardIy Their Use OF Po'sone'
Arrows Makes Them For
midahle a. Foes.

On the wild frontier between Chihi
and British Burma is a barOarous
tribe which has no civilized supeI't
sion. George Forrest, an Engiisn
traveller. thus describes the cniei
weapon OF these people:
If | had to suggest a title Tor =
book on the upper Salwin shou'a
call It The Land OF the Crossbo"'
which is the Characteristic weapon OF
the country and the Lissoo tribe.
Every Lissoo with any pretensions
10 chic possesses al 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 WIN
out their c~rossbows: when they go TO
sleep the 'nukung. is hung over their
heads. and when they die II Is nuns
over their graves
The largest cTossboys have a pan
OF fully hve feet. and require a pull OF
fully 80 pounds to string them. The
bow Is made OF a species OF wild null
berry OF great toughness and heIi'
bility: the stock, some four feet long
IN the war bows. is usually Of wild
plum wood; the string is OF plated
hemp and the trigger OF bone.
The arrow. OF 10 TO rs inches, Is OF
split bamboo, about four times the
thickness Of an ordinary knitting nee
die. hardened and pointed: the actual
point is bare for a quarter TO one'third
OF an inch. then for fully an inch tho
arrow is stripped to half It's thickness,
and on that portion poison Is placed.
This poison Is invariably a decoc-
ton expressed from the tubers Of a
species OF aconitum. which grows on
those ranges at an altitude OF 5000 to
10. 900 feet. The poison is mixed with
resin, or some vegetable gum. TO the
consistency OF putty. and is then
smeared on the notched point.
The feather is supplied by a strip
o: 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 placed
causes the point TO break off in the
body OF any one whom IL strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to xii
a horse a wound is invariably fatal
Free and immediate incision is the
usual remedy when wounded on
limb or feshy part Of the body: but
at C~heng-ka the uncle Of the Lao We
chief showed us a preparation which
resembled opium dross. and which he
said was an effective antidote.
With few exceptions the LissoC
seemed to rs To be arrant towards
but the crossbow and poisoned arrow
Is certainly a most %diabolical weapon
An arrow from n war bow will pierce
a deal board an inch thick at 10 o
so yards. Some OF the Tsekou native!
were so expert that they could hit Z
mark four inches in diameter repeat
eddy at so to so yards.
AS no one goes u where withou
his CrossbOw and bearskin culver full
OF poisoned arrows. and as every vii
laSe Is at feud with every other vii
lage. mutual suspicion is Inevitable.
I'm open fight the I.Issoo are usual
~ careful to keep at a respectful dis
lance from each other and behind OK
hide shields which protect the Who'll,
body. But II battle Is rare. murde,
and sudden death by ambush I'm tn,
jungle are common"