Note 31 — Chapter V

Note 31. The mace is a weapon still used in the East; but not so commonly as it was in former times. There was a petty governor in Upper Egypt during my first visit to that country, who, in his daily rides, indulged a frequent habit of striking persons with a weapon of this kind, a tolerably-heavy steel mace; but he did it with a happy knack, so as never, I believe, to inflict a dangerous wound, unless intentionally. Maces, like other arms of steel, are often tastefully inlaid with arabesque ornaments and inscriptions in gold.