`` but it also means she is extending to you her protection , which , in this part of the world , is no small thing '' `` all right , '' said i , twisting my neck and admiring my new tattoo , `` then i shall look on it as such '' my sword is strapped across my shoulders , and i find its presence and the feel of its snug harness reassuring , even though cheng shih has forbidden me to go over in the first wave of boarders .