Some Savage Warfare

SOME SAVAGE WARFARE

IMPLEMENTS USED BY SAVAGES SHOWN AT THE MUSEUM.

A blow gun for discharging poison arrows - a Chinese match lock and etc.

Curator Sargeant, of the university museum, has re-arranged the weapon case on the third floor of the building. A good idea of savage implements of warfare and those of the change to the more modern, can here be seen. There are spears and swords. Some of the latter are used by our new countrymen, the Malay pirates in the south Philippine Islands, who are expert workers in war. There is an executioner's knife that looks like an old-fashioned meat chopper, used in chopping meat for hash.

A Chinese match lock is a curiosity. The label on it says: 
"This gun was primed, as were the flintlocks. A slow burning rope of bark was carried around the wrist of the soldier or hunter. This rope was long enough to burn all day. When the gun was to be discharged, the burning rope was put into the catch above. Pulling the trigger lowered the burning end into the powder." This gun is part of the Beal-Steere collection. 

Another weapon is a blow gun with which poisoned arrows were blown. "The gourd contains tree cotton for wrapping about the ends of the arrows before placing them in the blow gun. The piece of fish jaw attached to the quiver is used for partially severing the poison tips of the arrows in order that they may break off and remain in the wounds which they inflict." This is also a part of the Beal-Steere collection.

An old flint lock has a sad history.

"A relic of the plains. In 1850 a party of emigrants were crossing the plains enroute to California. At Lemoile Creek, Nevada, a party of Indians attacked them, and a fierce running fight took place for 15 miles along the alley. During the night the Indians ran off all their stock and teams. A corral was made of the wagons, while some of the men stayed with the women and children to guard the property, while the others went for the stock, finding it 50 miles away. On returning five days later, they found the wagons burned and the family killed, not a survivor being found to tell the tale. Dr. J. C. Leonard visited the spot and found the gun."

In contrast to these guns are bows and arrows of Yukutat Indians from Port Mulgrave, Alaska, the gift of Prof. M. Baker.