During this recital, Jack had been unwinding his crutch: a curved stick with a padded crossbar at the top to go under his armpit, all lashed together with a mile of crude twine. When he'd undone the windings, he was left with two pieces of wood and some rags he'd used for padding. But protruding from the top of the long crutch-pole was the pommel of a Janissary-sword.