a half
to four
Notwithstanding the pain that I was in , the first thought that came to me after we had achieved peace -LRB- by the effective yet somewhat radical process of killing all of our enemies -RRB- was concerning the strange weapon with which Pablo had been fighting ; and by his prompt use of which in my defence my life had been saved . He had laid it upon a rock -- while testing the integrity of his mouth-organ -- and as I now carefully examined it I found that my glimpse of it as Pablo had mashed the Indian 's head had not deceived me . It truly was a maccuahuitl , the primitive Aztec sword , but very unlike any description of that weapon that I had ever seen . The maccuahuitl , as described by the Spaniards at the time of the conquest and as shown by the Aztec pictures of it preserved in various museums , was a wooden blade from three and a half to four feet long and from four to five inches wide . Along its two edges , like great saw teeth , fragments of obsidian , about three inches long and two inches wide , were inserted ; and as these were keenly sharp the weapon was a most ferocious one . The sword that I held in my hand was identical in its essential features with this primitive design ; but it was shorter , narrower , and thinner . What was still more extraordinary about it was that , while it seemed to be made of brass , it had the bright glitter of gold and the temper and the elasticity of steel .