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Topic: McCarthy's Western Novels
Thread: Saps of rawhide

Total messages for all days: 3

Saps of rawhide	Paulo Faria	12/11/2003
This is Paulo Faria, translating «Blood Meridian» into Portuguese. On p. 155, before the slaughter of the Gileños, the scalphunters mount «pistols in hand, saps of rawhide and riverrock looped about their wrists...». «Saps» meaning what here? Some kind of clubs? And what are they made of? Rawhide with small river pebbles embedded (to make them more lethal)? All help is welcome. Thanks to all. Paulo Faria

Saps of rawhide	peterb	12/11/2003
A flexible tube of rawhide - about 6" to 10" long - and filled with a mixture of sand and small round river stones - sealed at the held end with a drawstring come wrist loop..Lethal.

Saps of rawhide	BigDave	12/14/2003
Leather Saps are used today by police, and they are usually filled these days with a lead or steel shank, or weight, and stitched all around. It forms a small, compact, heavy weapon that when swung at the human head, does a lot of damage in a short period of time, without taking up as much room as a club or baton, and hence can be hidden and carried with less fanfare. They are a favorite of back-alley hoods. Here's a picture of a modern sap. I would imagine the ones McCarthy talks about are similiar in style, just slightly cruder in their composition, substituting pebbles and sand for lead weights. http://www.qmuniforms.com/police/S69995.html#S69995

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