Indian Antiquary Vol 21

SR No.: 032513
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 430
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JULY, 1892.
The arrows are carried in a quiver or basket waist in front to the small of the back behind. (see Plate C) on the left side. They are about a It is worn across the left shoulder, like the sash of foot and a half in length (the shaft being made #military officer, the ends being tied together at of bamboo about the thickness of a pencil), and the right side with a string, to which the dagger are neatly tipped with feathers or bamboo shav. in its bone sheath is attached. In the case of the ings. The heads (see Plate C) are of several kinds. Yindus this armour is frequently made of cane For war purposes and for killing big game iron | basket-work thickly covered with kauris. The heads are used. These again are of different Chinbôks also frequently adorn theirs with kauris shapes and various sizes, some being barbed and and small bells like ferret-belle. some lozenge-shaped. The other heads they use
The arrows are carried as follows:- A neat are hardened-wood points spliced on bone-heads
basket, generally measuring about one foot four for shooting fish,--these are said to be very
inches in depth, one foot eight inches in length, deadly for this purpose,-and, lastly, shafte with
and eight inches in breadth, is slung on the right the points sharpened for shooting birds.
shoulder, hanging therefore on the left side. It The arrows with iron heads carry 150 yards is divided into compartments. Nearest the front and further, and are very deadly, killing bear, a bamboo quiver containing the iron-headed tiger, deer, &c., at 80 yards range. Chins do not arrows is kept in place by cane loops in the basket. poison their arrows, and usually keep them This holds about twelve arrows, and has a top, bright and clean. But, as they use their arrows sometimes of bamboo or canework lacquered over, time after time whenever they can find them and sometimes of bamboo ornamented with red again, and as wounded animals frequently escape beads. This top is attached by a string to the only to die afterwards in the jungles, and as these breastplate, the string being frequently adorned arrows, which are frequently pulled out of the
with small bells. The next compartment in the carcasses of animals in a putrid state, are used basket contains a somewhat smaller bamboo, indiscriminately with those that are clean, blood. which acts as a box for tobacco, tinder, steel, and poisoning is very likely to follow an arrow wound. flint. The tinder used generally consists of This has probably given rise to the idea that they bamboo filings. The lid of this 'box' is generally poison their arrows by sticking them into dead ornamented with red seeds. The rest of the animals.
basket holds a pipe, arrows without heade, and
odds and ends. Outside the basket at the back is The only other weapon which every man carries
fixed a small bamboo holding a spare bowstring. is a dagger (see Plate C) a little over a foot in length, worn in war-time in a bone scabbard on
On the left [P ED.] side a basket, measuring the right side attached to the shield or rather one fopt in depth and length, and eight inches in to the leather breast-plate (see Plate C). When breadth is generally worn. In this food, &c., is
ca.crad in nencefal parauite it is stuck into al carried. It has a compartment, into which the basket, worn on the right side, in which there dagger fits as already described. is a sheath to receive it (see Plate C). The bone The pipes smoked by Chinbôks and Yindus (see scabbard mentioned above is the shoulder-blade
Plate C) are of three kinds :-firstly, a plain bamboo of a buffalo or bullock with a bamboo back. pipe with a bamboo stem a foot long; secondly, a
These daggers are used both for fighting and pipe with a baked bamboo bowl and bamboo stem : for cutting up food, &c. The people make great thirdly, a pipe on the principle of the hubbleuse of them when fighting among themselves, bubble. This last consists of a gourd, in which which they frequently do when drunk. It oosta
some water is kept, and from which a bamboo nothing to stick a knife into a man, while it he
it into a manthila i he tube fitted with a neat earthen bowl, projects were shot with an arrow and afterwards escaped, about an inch from the npper side. The smoke is the arrow-head, which is valuable, would be lost. drawn into the mouth through the end of the
gourd, where it tapers off at its stem. The tobacco Many men carry spears (see Plate 0), which the people smoke is grown by themselves, and resemble Burman spears :-in fact, many are
is very rank and offensive in smell. They are obtained from Burmans.
always smoking. The women smoke as well as Every man wears a kind of leather armour. the men. It consists of a strip of bent buffalo hide, about The Chinbons for the most part carry nothing nine inches to one foot broad, reaching from the bat spears. They have a few guns and a few
(I make out from this that the dagger-basket, Bee Plate C, in the time of peace, is the food basket in time of war.-ED.)