1 reply to this topic

[Freebooter]

Hello all,
Here are a few descriptions from the book; "The Hour of the Dragon". Beings as it is a complete novel or one long story, there are only a few descriptions in it. It describes Conan's sword as a two-hander, then when he is put in the dungeon and escapes, he obviously takes a "heavy" sword from a Nemedian "Adventurer" (some sort of elite group of soldiers). I thought some might be interested in it:

From the book, "THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON":
Ch. I; O Sleeper Awake:
1. "........a tall man, mightily shouldered and deep of chest, with a massive corded neck and heavily muscled limbs. He was clad in silk and velvet, with the royal lions of Aquilonia worked in gold upon his rich jupon, and the crown of Aquilonia shone on his square-cut black mane; but the great sword at his side seemed more natural to him that the regal accoutrements. His brow was low and broad, his eyes a volcanic blue that smoldered as if with some inner fire. His dark, scarred almost sinister face was that of a fighting-man, and his velvet garments could not conceal the hard, dangerous lines of his limbs."
Ch. 2: A Black Wind Blows:
1. " 'I saw again in the battlefield wherein I was born,' said Conan, resting his chin moodily on a massive fist. "I saw myself in a panterskin loin-clout, throwing my spear at the mountain beasts.' "
2. ....."the king's great two-handed sword lay near his hand,......".
Ch. 3; The Cliffs Reel:
1. "Wrenching away the bow and an arrow he staggered toward the opening of tghe pavilion. So formidable was his appearance, naked but for short leather breeks and sleeveless shirt, open to reveal his great, hairy chest, with his huge limbs and his blue eyes blazing under his tangled black mane,........".
Ch. 6; The Thrust of a Knife:
1. Conan killed a Nemedian soldier with the poniard the slave girl who helped him escape the dundeons gave him, then took his mail armor and obviously his sword, which we learn later was a was a two-hander: : "....the rider wore the grey mail of a Nemedian adventurer."

"Conan sprang as a tiger springs. Practised fighter though the Adventurer was, he did not realize the desperate quickness that lurks in barbaric sinews. He was caught off guard, his heavy sword half lifted. Before he could either strike or parry, the king's poniard sheathed itself in his throat, above the gorget, slanting downward into his heart. With a choked gurgle he reeled and went down, and Conan ruthlessly tore his blade free as his victim fell. The white horse snorted violently and shied at the sight and scent of blood on the sword."

I wonder if by that last sentence REH meant to say that Conan had picked up the sword and then used it again on the guy or was it a typo? Because the Adventurer's sword had not been used, Conan having killed him before he could get it up. Anyway, he left there, wearing the Nemedian Adventurer's mail, on the white horse the slave girl had hidden for him and rode, crossing the wild country, until in his own land (that was funny about that crow flying around and hanging about above him with constant, incessant squawks, cries and caws until Conan's teeth were on edge and he was seething with fury). There he came across the four Nemedians that were fixing to hang that wolf woman or witch (next)-----

Ch. 7: Rending of the Veil:
"Conan swung from his weary steed and dropped down the face of the rocks, landing with a clang of mail on the grass. The four men wheeled at the sound and drew their swords, gaping at the mailed giant who faced them, sword in hand.
Conan laughed harshly. His eyes were bleak as flint.
'Dogs!' he said without passion and without mercy. 'Do Nemedian jackels set themselves up as executioners and hang my subjects at will? First you must take the head of their king. Here I stand, awaiting your lordly pleasure!'
'Who is this madman?' growled a bearded ruffian. 'He wears Nemedian mail, but speaks with an Aquilonian accent.'
'No matter,' quoth another. 'Cut him down, and then we'll hang the old hag.'
And so saying he ran at Conan, lifting his sword. But before he could strike, the king's great blade lashed down, splitting helmet and skull. The man fell before him, but the others were hardy rogues. They gave tongue like wolves and surged about the lone figure in the gray mail, and the clamor and din of steel drowned the cries of the circling raven.
Conan did not shout. His eyes coals of blue fire and his lips smiling bleakly, he lashed right and left with his two-handed sword. For all his size he was quick as a cat on his feet, and he was constantly in motion, presenting a moving target so that thrusts and swings cut empty air oftener than not. Yet when he struck he was perfectly balanced, and his blows fell with devastating power. Three of the four were down, dying in their own blood, and the fourth was bleeding from half a dozen wounds, stumbling in headlong retreat as he parried frantically, when Conan's spur caught in the surcoat of one of the fallen men.
The king stumbled, and before he could catch himself the Nemedian, with the frenzy of desperation, rushed him so savagely that Conan staggered and fell sprawling over the corps. The Nemedian croaked in triumph and sprang forward, lifting his great sword with both hands over his right shoulder, as he braced his legs wide for the stroke--and then, over the prostrate king, something huge and hairy shot like a thunderbolt full on the soldier's breast, and his yelp of triumph changed to a shriek of death (he was killed by the witch's wolf)."

That "sword in hand" could be none other than the Nemedian Adventurer's sword, unless Conan took one of the curved swords of the drugged Nubian guards in the dungeon. But I doubt that because he would have used it to despatch the Adventurer instead of his poniard, and most curved swords weren't two handed. So he had the Adventurer's sword when he fought the four men and where it mentions it also being a "two-hander".

Ch. 9; It is the King or His Ghost:
1. While under disguise: ".......whose worn cloak......... A great patch covered one eye, and his leather coif, drawn low over his brows, shadowed his features."
Ch. 11; Swords of the South:
1. Again in disguese: "The man.......was huge and brown as the others, though closer scrutiny might have revealed the fact that the hue was the result of carefully applied pigments. He was clad in leather loin-clout and sandals, and he handled the boat........"
2. After washing off the brown pigment......"From the cabin he brought forth a suit of Aquilonian ring-mail......"
Ch. 12; The Fang of the Dragon:
1. "His harness proclaimed him a veteran of the Free Companies, who were of all races. His headpiece was a plain morion, dented and battered. The leather and mail-mesh of his hauberk were worn and shiny as if by many campaigns, and the scarlet cloak flowinig carelessly from his mailed sholders was tattered and stained.
Ch. 15; The Return of the Corsair:
1. "Then he discovered he was weaponless and naked except for his short leather breeks."
Ch. 16; Black-Walled Khemi:
1. ".....he donned the prisoner's silk breeches and sandals, and the band from the man's hair, but scorned the fisherman's short knife. ......but Conan buckled to his hip a Ghanta knife, a weapon borne by the fierce desert men who dwelt to the south of the Stygians, a broad, heavy, slightly curved blade of fine steel, edged like a razor and long enough to dismember a man."
Ch1. . 22; Drums of Peril:
1. ".......rode a giant figure in black armor, with the royal lion of Aquilonia worked in gold upon the breast of his rich silken surcoat."
Ch. 23; The Road to Acheron:
1. "And at the tip of the wedge a giant figure in black armor roared and smote like a hurricane, with a dripping ax that split steel and bone alike."
2. "The Cimmerian placed a mail shod foot upon his enemy's breast......"
-----------------------------------------------
I just thought some one might find the above interesting.
Take care,
Freebooter

[Dragon Girl]

I always thought a white horse was a bad choice. If you need to be sneaking around at night, a dark-colored horse is better, plus you muffle its hooves with cloth so they don't make noise on the cobblestones.

I like REH's descriptions, though.