268 MODERN EARTHWORKS. 



sloping ascent, at the south-west corner, leading also towards 

 a ridge that extends in the direction of the river." 



Within the enclosure are some ridges about two feet high, 

 and connected with them are several rings, or circles, which 

 are supposed to be the remains of mud houses. " Nearly the 

 whole interior of the enclosure appears to have been either 

 excavated or thrown up into mounds and ridges ; the pits 

 and irregular excavations being quite numerous over much 

 of the space not occupied by mounds." These excavations 

 and ridges are, in all probability, the ruins of houses. Some 

 years ago a skeleton was found in one of the mounds, wrapped 

 apparently in cloth of open texture, " like the coarsest linen 

 fabric;" but the threads were so rotten as to make it quite 

 uncertain of what material they were made. 



The last Indian occupants of this interesting locality had 

 no tradition as to the history or the purpose of these earth- 

 works. 



Among the Northern tribes of existing Indians, there do 

 not appear to be any earthworks corresponding to these so- 

 called sacred enclosures. "No sooner, however, do we pass 

 to the southward, and arrive among the Creeks, Natchez, 

 and affiliated Floridian tribes, than we discover traces of 

 structures which, if they do not entirely correspond with the 

 regular earthworks of the West, nevertheless seem to be 

 somewhat analogous to them."* These tribes, indeed, appear 

 to have been more civilized than those of the North, since 

 they were agricultural in their habits, lived in considerable 

 towns, and had a systematized religion, so that, in fact, they 

 must have occupied a position intermediate, as well econo- 

 mically as geographically, between the powerful monarchies 

 of Central America and the hunting tribes of the North. 

 The "structures" to which Mr. Squier alludes are described 



* Squier, 1. c. p. 136. 



