If One, Two, Or More Of The Decury Are
Made Prisoners And The Rest Do Not Rescue Them, They Are Put To Death.
Every Man Must Have Two Bows, Or At Least One Good Bow, Three Quivers Full
Of Arrows, An Axe, And Certain Ropes To Draw The Military Machines.
The
rich or officers have sharp-pointed swords, somewhat curved and sharp on
one edge.
They wear helmets, coats of mail, and cuisses, and their horses
even are armed. Some have their own armour and that of their horses made of
leather, ingeniously doubled and even tripled. The upper parts of their
helmets are of iron or steel, but the hood which protects their neck and
throat is of leather. Some have all their defensive armour composed of many
small plates of iron, a hand-breadth long and an inch broad, perforated
with eight small holes, by which they are tied with small leather thongs to
strong thongs of leather underneath, so that the plates overlap each other
in regular series, and are firmly knit together. The armour both of men and
horses is often made in this fashion, and is kept finely burnished. Some
carry lances having hooks, to pull their enemies from horseback. Their
arrow-heads are exceedingly sharp on both edges, and every man carries a
file to sharpen them. Their targets are made of wicker, but they are hardly
ever carried, except by the night guards, especially those in attendance
upon the emperor and the princes.
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