THE SUMPITAN OF BORNEO. 75 



for the stones, taking stinging effect on the hands and 

 faces, and preventing any good aim being taken at the 

 windows. Only two panes of glass were broken through a 

 siege that lasted for several hours. 



There is another toy which is a development of the pea- 

 shooter, and carries a small clay bullet instead of a pea. When 

 the tube is quite straight and the balls fit well, the force of this 

 missile is very great, as it can be used for killing small birds. 

 Indeed, such an instrument is largely employed by the native 

 hunters in procuring humming-birds for the European market. 

 These weapons are generally lined with metal in this country, 

 but a simple bamboo tube is sufficient for the native hunters. 



A still further improvement occurs where the place of the 

 bullet is taken by a small dart or arrow, which is usually made 

 to fit the bore by having a tuft of wool, or some similar 

 substance, at the butt. The arrow is aimed at a target, and 

 the toy is popularly known as " Puff and Dart." 



"With us this apparatus is only a toy, but in several parts of 

 the world it becomes a deadly weapon, namely, in Borneo and 

 over a large part of tropical America. In both cases the 

 arrows are poisoned, as has already been mentioned when 

 treating of poisoned weapons. 



The first and best known of these weapons is the dreaded 

 Sumpitan, or Blow- gun, of Borneo, the arrows of which are 

 poisoned with the deadly juice of the upas-tree. Here I may 

 as well mention that the scientific name of the upas-tree is 

 Antiaris toxicaria. It belongs to a large group of plants, all of 

 which have an abundance of milk-like and sometimes poisonous 

 juice. We are most of us familiar with the old story of the 

 upas-tree and its deadly power, and how the tree stood in a 

 valley, in which nothing else could live, and that condemned 

 criminals might compound for their inevitable fate by ven- 

 turing into the valley of death and bringing back a flask of 

 the dread poison. Even birds were supposed to be unable to 

 fly over the valley, but to iall into it, being poisoned by the 

 exhalations of the tree. 



Now, there is a saying that there is- no smoke without fire, 

 and though this account is evidently incredible, it is not 

 altogether without foundation. In Java, as in many other 



