Inca battles, however, generally opened
at a slight distance with the use of slings and bolas, the missile arms; these
are more adapted to the open country of the Peruvian highlands. The sling was
not the forked-stick-and-rubber-hand weapon of the modern boy, but rather of
David’s Goliath-killing type. Generally of braided wool or fibre, it was up to
six feet (2 m.) in length, with a wider cradle for the stone in the centre.
Doubled, with both ends held in one hand, it was whirled around the head to give
momentum, and then one end released, thus hurling the stone with great force
and—with practice—great accuracy. The sling, constantly carried to kill or
frighten away small animals or to drive domestic ones, was as ubiquitous as a
modern Mexican’s machete, and was often worn as a fillet to keep the
hair back.
The bolas consisted of several
stones, each fastened to the end of a cord, or thong, and the latter tied
together at the other ends. Thrown, they whirled by centrifugal force and
covered a considerable area, wrapping around the victim’s body or legs; this also
was primarily a hunting weapon. (J. Alden Mason, The Ancient Civilizations
of Peru [Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd., 1957], 195-96)
