86 THE MANOBOS OF MINDANAO— GARVAN 1MEMO [vo?xxiit 



about 20° from the vertical, the top being toward the right, the string, with the arrow butt always 

 pressed against it, is drawn back sufficiently (about 30 centimeters) to give the requisite tension. 

 The string is then allowed to fly back, while at the same time the bowman releases his hold upon 

 the arrow butt, and thus the arrow speeds on its way. When ready to be released the end of the 

 arrow points to the bowman's right shoulder. 



The greatest range of a good arrow is about 75 meters. Its effective range, however, is 

 only about one-third of that. 



I can not laud the expertness of the Man6bo as a bowman. Here and there one meets a 

 really good shot, but the average man can not score 50 per cent at close range. 



No quivers worthy of the name are used. When a war raid is undertaken, the arrows are 

 placed in a bamboo internode, which is carried in a horizontal position at the bowman's side. 

 Arrows are never poisoned. The bamboo of which the spearhead is made seems to have a some- 

 what poisonous effect as a wound caused by it is very painful and hard to cure. 



THE BOLO AND ITS SHEATH 



The next important offensive weapon used by the Man6bo is the bolo. It is his inseparable 

 companion by day and, in regions where the influence of civil or military authority is not strongly 

 felt, also by night. 



As there are but two Man6bo blacksmiths that I know of, all bolos used are imported, 

 either from the Mandayas or from the Banuaons, though one sees from time to time a weapon 

 that has made its way from the Bag6bos. The prevailing bolo is of Mandaya workmanship 

 and merits a more detailed description. 



It is a substantial steel blade varying in length from 30 to 45 centimeters. At its juncture 

 with the handle it is about as broad as the handle but narrows gradually on top, and less so on 

 the lower edge, to a breadth of 25 millimeters u at a point one-sixth of the length of the blade 

 from the handle. At this point the back of the bolo changes its direction, running off at an 

 angle to its previous direction of 15°. The lower part or edge of the weapon gradually bellies 

 out until the blade, at a point one-fourth of its entire length from the tip attains its maximum 

 breadth (7 to 10 centimeters) whence it curves like the segment of a circle to the point of the 

 weapon. 



The type of bolo that is considered more pretentious, and that is more common on the upper 

 Agiisan, has a thin straight back 12 up to within 6 or 7 centimeters from the handle, at which 

 point the direction of the back is slightly changed. In other respects this bolo is similar to the 

 one described above. 



At the narrowest part of the bolo and on the underside there is occasionally a serrated 

 decoration in the steel, the significance of which I do not know. 



The handle is occasionally of ebony, but more commonly of some other wood. The grasp 

 for the hand is cylindrical. The handle is often bound with a braid of rattan, or a band or 

 two of steel or of brass, to prevent splitting, or less commonly with silver bands for ornament's 

 sake. Curving downward beyond the grasp is a carved ornamentation that suggests remotely 

 the head of a bird with an upturned curving bill. This is one continuous piece with the grasp. 

 It is rare to find brass ferrules and hand guards at the juncture of the blade with the handle. 



The sheath, which is of Man6bo production, consists of two pieces of thin light wood a 

 little broader than the bolo. It is almost rectangular in form for a distance equal to the length 

 of the blade, and then the edges become gradually narrower up to a point that is about 3 centi- 

 meters from the end ; at this point they expand into a small square with incurving sides. 



The two pieces are held together closely by bands of rattan coiled around them at equal 

 intervals. A coating of beeswax serves to preserve the wood and at the same time to impart 

 a finished appearance to the sheath. Frequently pot black is mixed with the beeswax, and on 

 the upper and central parts, and on the ends and edges, symmetrical bands of this black paint 



» Figures given are approximate only. They vary in different bolos. 

 » Hence it is called U-kud-ti-kud. 



