Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1910-03-25
EXPERT WITH BOWS
WEAPONS OF LIssoo NATIVES
ON chiNA-BuRmEsE BORDER.
Are Splendid Marksmen and Although
cowardIy Their Use Of Poisoned
Arrows Makes Them For.
midable as Foes.

On the wild frontier between China
and British Burma is a barbarous
tribe which has nc civilized superyi.
' sion George Forrest. an English
traveller. thus describes the chief
weapon OF these people:
, IF | had TO suggest a title for a
book on he upper Salwin l should
call IL The Land OF the Crossbow,'
which is the Characteristic weapon of
the country and the Lissoo 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
little children play with miniature
crossbows. The men never leave their
huts for any purpose whatever with
out their ~crossbows: when they 90 TO
sleep the 'nukung' is hung over their
heads, and when they die It is hung
over their graves
The largest crossboys have a span
of fully five feet, and require a pull OF
fully 80 pounds to string them. The
bow is made Of a species of wild mul.
berry of great toughness and fexi.
biHty; 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 l6 to IS 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 10 one-third
OF an inch, then for fully an inch the
arrow is stripped to half its thickness.
n on that portion poison is placed.
This poison is invariably a decoc-
ton expressed from the tubers of a
species of sconitum. which grows on
those ranges at an altitude OF 5000 to
10000 feet. The poison Is mixed with
resin, or some vegetable gum. to the
consistency OF putty. n is then
smeared on the notched point.
The feather is supplied by a strip
OF 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 10 break OF in the
body Of any one whom Il strikes. and
as each carries enough poison to kill
a horse a wound is invariably fatal.
Free n immediate incision is the
usual remedy when wounded on a
limb or feshy part OF the body: but
at Cheng-ka the uncle of the Lao.wo
chief showed us a preparation which
resembled opium dross, and which he
said was an effective antidote.
with few exceptions the Lissoo
seemed to vs. to be arrant towards.
but the crossbow and poisoned arrow
is certainly a most diabolicaI weapon
An arrow from a war bow will pierce
a deal board an inch thick at 10 OF
80 yards. Some of the Tsekou natives
were so expert that they could hit a
mark four inches in diameter repeat
eddy at 60 to so yards.
"As no one goes anywhere without
his crossbow and bearskin culver full
of poisoned arrows. and as every vii.
lage is at feud with every other vii.
lage, mutual suspicion Is inevitable.
I'm open fight the Lissoo are usual.
~ careful to keep at a respectful dis,
lance from each other and behind OK.
hide shields which protect the whole
body. But II battle is rare. murder
and sudden death by ambush in the
jungle are common"