help with archaic script etched on sword

[gchan]

Hello,

I have an antique Chinese sword that has characters etched in relief on the blade. I have a basic understanding of modern Chinese and this is obviously beyond me; I can only read "cloud"... I think it is seal script? On the other side, a figure is etched. My guess is that it is a Taoist immortal, but that's just a guess.

Anyway, I've attached photos. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated! Many thanks in advance.

[gchan]

Does anybody know where I can find out what it says? It really bugs me to have a sword with something I don't understand etched on!!!

I confirmed the figure is indeed a Daoist immortal. If you look closely you can see Daoist elemental symbols on his robes.

If anyone cares, the sword is late Qing or early Republican and the etchings are atypical for this style. Quite long and heavy for a Chinese jian. It's going off for a professional to polish a window into the blade and check to see if the steel is good quality. If the steel's good, it'll get a full polish and restored as a rightful work of art and weapon.

[ma3zi1]

Big characters:

？雪

maybe the first one is 手字旁『走』(i.e. 扌＋走)

small characters:

室？此勿 軴

試恃整冠 ？

椅穴外

maybe the one at the end of the second line is 辶＋居

I honestly have no idea what any of it means. I know next to nothing about Chinese that doesn't resemble modern Chinese.

[Hofmann]

Question mark next to stuff I'm unsure about.

投雲

宜?寶此?勿輕?試待整冠据?倚天外