Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-04-29

With the departure of Capt. w. s.
Mapes, u. S. A., on the April trans.
port. one of the most valuable collec'
tons of ancient arms found outside
the best museums left the territory.
A representative of the Star-Bullet-
in called on Captain Mapes at his
quarters at Schofield Barracks recent
ly and found the officer in the throes
of packing. Curious arms of every
description, shape and form, from the
iron ball of ancient times to the mod
ern automatic, Uttered the floor. More
than three hundred pieces, some of
them almost priceless, were lying
about.
Come right in,' said the captain.
"Glad to see you. Oh, these things
They are some souvenirs have
picked up from time. to time. Where
did get them? Why, just picked
them I'D where they we're handy and
then traded my duplicates to other
collectors.
In that pile over there are Filipino
weapons, representing weapons from
IS different tribes. That long tube is
salvatana,' or blow-gun.'
The captain here referred to hol.
low pole about IL feet long. One end
was fixed with q flange and the other
end had curious hook on It. The
hook. the captain explained. served
two purposes; first, to hang tup and
keep II straight, and, second, to reach
up and secure bird that had been
killed and which had lodged in the
branches.
The natives, the captain added, in
hunting used baked clay marbles to
stun OF kill small birds. an arrow with
q separate head ATTACHED to- q string
that would como loose and entangie
larger game, such as monkeys. and q
poisoned dart for real enemies or big
game.
Here is one Of the poisoned darts,
said the captain. Handle it carefully
as wound from it would mean GER
tain death. 81
It's head was a very thin fat steel
silver with couple of holes bored in
near its point, the holec containing a
brown sticky substance. The head
was fastened to bamboo tube about
three inches long, feathered with tapa
bark, and can be blown from the tube
about $50 yards. A deer or pig shot
with this arrow would die in half an
hour and the flesh is not injured for
use as food.
The poison is obtained by compel.
ling a calebra de Palay (rice snake)
to bite repeatedly deer or pigs liver,
which is then allowed to remain in
the sun and putrefy and the putrid
liver smeared on the arrows.
Now, just look at some of these
large ARROWS used with their great
bows. Are they not samples of re-
fined deviltry? Here is one with 20
barbs, and look at the beautiful carv-
ing on the shafts" said the captain.
'1The tribe that uses these pick their
board from the trees, SO they have
plenty of time to ornament Their
weapons. Patience is their one vir-
tue"
these flame-shaped blades are
Moro krises and are handed down
from father to son through many gen.
erations. Some of these weapons are
hundreds of years old. Those are
Damascus blades and we're brought
to the natives by the Arabians before
the Spaniards came. The Moros tell
how the tempering of the Damascus
blade was discovered. Many, MANY
hundreds of years ago a warrior was
watching an armorer forge a blade
when a quarrel started. The armorer
drew the hot blade from the forge,
and, swinging it over his head, made
for the warrior, chased him over hill
and dale, swinging at him with the
hot blade, which cooled it just right
for wonderful temper. The Moro
armorer now plunges his blade in a
pit of charcoal dust for a few seconds,
then drawing it out, whirls it rapidly
over his head until cooled. These
weapons have wonderfully tough
cutting edge.
These fish-shaped blades, with
curious, massive ivory handles, arc
called barongs. A blow from one Of
them will cut a man in two. The
watered effect in the blades is Oh
tanned by mixing and twisting to-
gether before forging different grades
Of steel and iron. See how delicately !
they have inlaid some of those blades
with gold and silver. That inscrir- |
ton is verse from the Koran. This
kris handle is solid gold"
The captain handed the reporter |
a weapon with curious, twisted gol1 |
filigree handle of exquisite workma II
ship, the blade gold inlaid with a |
verse from the Koran. h.. 49,. =.
These two-handed long blades are
called kampelans and are not re
moved from the scabbard in fights,
the blow cutting through the light
wood scabbard, which is tied with /
rattan on the sides of the blade.
These are powerful weapons and will
cut man in two with a single blow,