264 SAVAGE WEAPONS AT THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION. 



blade is one-edged, two feet long, and gently curved. The guard is 



a disk set with gems and the scabbard is enameled. 

 The Chinese use single swords, sometimes one in each hand ; they 

 also have two-handed swords. 144 The warrior armed 

 with two makes them fly like the sails of a windmill, 

 he leaping and dodging the while. The two-banded 

 sword is of the same length and weight as the one 

 exhibited from Norway. The Chinese also use a sword 

 blade on the end of a pole. The practice of the 

 Japanese of rank in carrying two swords is familiar 

 from the many illustrations on the fans, which are 

 so good and cheap. The swords are known as ~ken 

 and latten. Some of the old Japanese swords have 

 blood lines. 145 



The Norwegian two-handed sword of some centu- 

 ries since was shown in the collection from that 

 country in the Main Building. It has a whole length 

 of 5i feet and a hilt 15 inches in length. It has two 

 hand-holds on the hilt and one above the hilt, proba- 

 bly to hold it when used as a pike. 

 IV. — Spears. 



The spear is found among most savage nations and 

 was the knightly weapon in Europe until the intro- 

 duction of fire-arms. It, however, continued in use 

 among the Poles, Russians, Turks, and Tartars, and 

 was introduced into the armies of Prussia by Fred- 

 erick the Great; the Austriaus followed, calling the 

 troops Uhlans, and lances are now found in most of 

 the European cavalry forces. A number of lances 

 were made for a cavalry regiment in the army of the 

 Potomac, but the project was abandoned and the 

 lances laid away in the arsenal in Washington. 



Perhaps we may assume that the first spear was a 

 sharpened stick or pole: such a one was shown in 

 the collection from the Argentine Republic, a round 

 pole a little larger than a hayfork handle, of dark wood 

 The point was a simple taper without any attempt at 



Fig. 



91. — Norwegian two- 

 handed sword. 



and 10 feet long 

 hastate form. 



A common spear of Borneo and the Philippines is a sharpened bam- 

 boo, such as shown at a 1>, Fig. 02. In one case the shaft is of bamboo, 

 and in the other a bamboo head is slipped upon a cocoa-wood shaft. 

 The end is so sharpened thai the hard silicious skin of the bamboo forms 

 the edge and makes a very efficient cutting and piercing weapon. The 

 spears c '/ are of cocoa wood. The.head of c has an ornament resembling 



1,1 Wood, vol. ii, ]>. -1 1. 



>ifbold'3 "Nippon," ii, plates 3, 5 bia, 12. 



