Cold weapon

A fencing-room in which twenty or thirty couples of men are practising, is a fair illustration of a mélée with cold weapons.

The most effective weapons in the hands of the Caucasians was the sword, or as the Russians call it "the cold weapon" ["khalodnoye orúdiye," as opposed to firearms "agniovoye orúdiye"], the use of which, in hand-to-hand fight, was their special forte.

Pistols, carbines and musketoons were the firearms of the cavalry; a sword or sabre the cold weapon.

There are perhaps more variations of the dao than there are of any other cold weapon.