Sentence:  The fore-part of his thighs, where the folds of his mantle permitted them to be seen, were also covered with linked mail; the knees and feet were defended by <WSD>splints</WSD>, or thin plates of steel, ingeniously jointed upon each other; and mail hose, reaching from the ancle to the knee, effectually protected the legs, and completed the rider's defensive armour. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A segment of armour consisting of a narrow overlapping plate.