SHEATHED WEAPONS. 



81 



I have in my collection a number of sheathed weapons from 

 nearly all parts of the world, and it is a remarkable fact that the 

 Fan tribe, who are themselves absolutely naked, sheathe their 

 daggers and axes as carefully as we sheathe our swords and 

 bayonets. In some points, indeed, they go beyond us ; for the 

 most ignorant Fan savage would never think of blunting the 

 edge of his weapon by sheathing it in a metal scabbard. Their 

 sheaths are beautifully made of two flat pieces of wood, just 

 sufficiently hollowed to allow the blade to lie between them, 

 and bound together with various substances. For example, 

 the sheaths of one or two daggers in my possession are made 

 of wood covered with snake-skin, while others are simply 

 wood bound with a sort of rattan. Even the curious missile- 

 axe which the Fan warrior uses with such power is covered 

 with a sheath when not in actual use. 



The figure on the right hand of the illustration represents 

 the heads of two spears of Waganda warriors. When they 



PIERCING APPARATUS AND SHEATHS. SHEATHED SPEARS OF WAGANDA. 



GNAT. FLEA. BOMBYLITTS. 



present themselves before their king, the warriors must not 

 appear without their weapons, and it would be contrary to all 

 etiquette to show a bare blade except in action. The sheath 

 can be slipped off in a moment, but there it is, and any man 

 who dared to appear before his sovereign without his weapon, 

 or with an unsheathed spear, would lose his life on the spot, 

 so exact is the code of etiquette among these savages. 



The sheathed spears of Nature are shown in the same illus- 

 tration. On the left is a side view of the piercing apparatus of 

 the common Gnat. 



