SAVAGE WEAPONS AT THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION. 



Fig. 89.— Malay kris. 



more than the other, and hence leaving the surface grooved. The exe- 

 cution kris is also used 



as a thrust weapon, the 



parang-latolc being used 



for beheading. The cul- 



prit or victim, as the case 



may be, sits in a chair, 



and his extended arms 



are held by two persons. 



The executioner stands 



behind and places the 



point of the kris just by 



the left collar bone, and 



strikes it downward, 



piercing the heart. If he be fastidious he places a pledget of cotton 



wool around the point of the kris before thrusting it into the thorax, 



holds it there tightly, so as to wipe the 

 weapon on its recovery, thrusts the wool 

 into the gap, and thus avoids shedding a 

 drop of blood. 



"A most delicate monster." 



It may be added that the kris is the 

 most cherished possession of its owner, 

 and may be worth $20, when his cloth- 

 ing would not command 2o cents. Some 

 krisesare heavily inlaid with gold. The 

 sheath is of wood and comparatively 

 plain. The size of the weapon is usually 

 from 12 to 15 inches long, but larger 

 ones are to be seen. Some authorities 

 have told us that the handle is always 

 bent at right angles to the blade. In the 

 Javan collection of the Dutch colonies in 

 the Main Building the handles were as 

 represented in the figure. 



Five swords of the Philippine Islands 

 are represented in Fig. 00. They were 

 in the Spanish Government Building. 

 The resemblance to the Malaysian im- 

 plements is very marked; a is evidently 

 a Jcris ; l> is a parang; c is a parang- 

 ihlang. 



The Siamese sword 143 used from ele- 

 phant back has a handle four feet long 

 of heavy wood and a screw-joint in the 



Fig. 90 Swords of the Philippines. middle to make it more portable. The 



l « Ruscb.enberger's "Voyage Round the World," p. 295. 



