ndia,
especially swords," and quotes from Firdusi, "_Khanjar-i-Hundwan_," a
hanger of Indian steel.

The like expression appears in the quotation from Edrisi below as
_Hindiah_, and found its way into Spanish in the shapes of _Alhinde,
Alfinde, Alinde_, first with the meaning of _steel_, then assuming, that
of _steel mirror_, and finally that of metallic foil of a glass mirror.
(See _Dozy_ and _Engelmann_, 2d ed. pp. 144-145.) _Hint_ or _Al-hint_ is
used in Berber also for steel. (See _J. R. A. S._ IX. 255.)

The sword-blades of India had a great fame over the East, and Indian
steel, according to esteemed authorities, continued to be imported into
Persia till days quite recent. Its fame goes back to very old times.
Ctesias mentions two wonderful swords of such material that he got from
the king of Persia and his mother. It is perhaps the _ferrum candidum_ of
which the Malli and Oxydracae sent a 100 talents weight as a present to
Alexander.[2] Indian Iron and Steel ([Greek: sidaeros Indikos kai
stomoma]) are mentioned in the _Periplus_ as imports into the Abyssinian
ports. _Ferrum Indicum_ appears (at least according to one reading) among
the Oriental _species_ subject to duty in the Law of Marcus Aurelius and
Commodus on that matter. Salmasius notes that among surviving Greek
chemical treatises there was one [Greek: peri baphaes Indikou sidaerou],
"On the Tempering of Indian Steel." Edrisi says on this subject: "The
Hindus excel in the manufacture of iron, and in the preparation of those
ingredients along with which it is fused to obtain that kind of soft Iron
which is usually styled _Indian Steel_ (HINDIAH).[3] They also have
workshops wherein are forged the most famous sabres in the world.... It is
impossible to find anything to surpass the edge that you get from Indian
Steel (_al-hadid al-Hindi_)."

Allusions to the famous sword-blades of India would seem to be frequent in
Arabic literature. Several will be found in Hamasa's collection of ancient
Arabic poems translated by Freytag. The old commentator on one of these
passages says: "_Ut optimos gladios significet_ ... Indicos _esse dixit_,"
and here the word used in the original is _Hundwaniyah_. In Manger's
version of Arabshah's _Life of Timur_ are several allusions of the same
kind; one, a quotation from _Antar_, recalls the _ferrum candidum_ of
Curtius:

"Albi (gladii) Indici _meo in sanguine abluuntur_."

In the histories, even of the Mahomedan conquest of