The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-09
INDIAN SPEARS.

From BaGHs Magazine Of Sports and PaStnNss.,
Second In esteem only TO the sword,
among tho weapons Of historical India
came the spear, and, In various forms Tor
uss both by mounted and dismounted men,
il was TO be found almost everywhere, from
north 10 south Of the great peninsula. The
typically well armed fighting man OF a
hundred years ago IL well described by Sir
Alfred Lyall In THE Old Pindarri':
When I rode q DekhAnl charges, with the saddia
cloth gold laced,
And . Persian sword and q twelve foot spear and
q pistol az my waist.
Twelve feet seems to be rather an ex-
IRENE length for a mounted mans lance
and was never equalled In Europe, though
the infantry pixies in tho seventeenth CEN
tury, as used by English fighting men, were
sometimes sixteen feet long. The Indian
horsemen wore, however, fairly acquainted
with the use Of the lance called BhGLd,
though, from contemporary accounts, &he
smartest cavaliers In the old native armies
would have cut a very poor figure - 70
CARDS skill at arms beside a thoroughly
trained sowar in one OF our native cavalry
regiments to-day. We are told that tent
pegging was considered a marvellous ex-
hibitlon seventy or eighty years ago; and
that II q man took q peg twice In hve
courses he was considered 20 hs an adept.
Such o performance In modern military
tournaments, either IN India or at homo,
would be considered only nnsdtocre.
A In Europe, tho spears or pixies ALSO
called Bhald) carried by Indian infantry
were long shafted weapons. extending
sometimes to about forrteen feet from
point to butt: but they were never very
formidable, a. the mes who carried them
were not trained and disciplined TO act in
steady lines in the sdvanoe. or In closed
bodies in the defense, with the butts rest
ing on tho ground and the points lowered
against a charging foe.
Besides the spears used specially In VI.
there were othsrs which formed parrof
the equipment Of feudal retainsrs. and
were also used In tho chase. Tho most
characteristic OF these is the PGndi EuHd'n,
with a long, heavy shaft and q broadOIaded
point. This was particularly used nsouth-
ern India for enoountering hogsacr other
wild ANIMALS on foot. Probably n most
cases nels on light supports wer set up
against which the animals wsredrtven by
beaterJ. The supports gave Wy with the
rush, the animals were entstgled IN the
nets and were attacked beEoe they could
free themselves. In bygope days tigers
and eopards were generally the objects OF
this kind Of shikar, which was often 40
csmpanied with dire risk for 1t might well
happen that the mesheso OF tho net gave
way, or that they failef TO entangle and
hold an animal until IL was despatched by
repeated spear thrustsj
There are also sev%al kinds Of spears
which were intended b be carried on COCA
sions Of state and dignity, some with pro-
fusely engraved stee shafts, some silvered
over, and some with hooks or spikes pro-
jecting at right angles from the base OF the
blade. All Of these have distinctive names
and Offices; but though they are interesting,
they have no special memories attached to
| them. The spear 81 the Nagas Of Assam,
one Of the aboriginal tribes In our domin-
ions, must be noticed, however, not because
It is a very highly finished weapon, but
because it is Invariably ornamented with
tufts OF humai hair, colored red. n this
hair is said u be a trophy taken from tho
head OF an nemy. much in the fashion OF
the scalps which formed the glory Of q
North American Indian.