GAGE INDIAN MOUNDS. 233 



earthenware, and perhaps a specimen or two of obsidian, and therefore felt 

 unusual pleasure in bringing to light a rich and remarkable collection of 

 vases, urns and bowls of archaeological pottery, and varied and various 

 implements of stone, which you will find figured in the accompanying 

 charts. With one exception, the vessels are all of the same material as 

 those usually found in mound excavations, well-worked clay intermixed 

 with broken shells or other calcareous matter. The exception is a little 

 pot-hooked vessel with cars for hook suspension, which is of a darker color 

 and apparently of a firmer material, though much injured when exhumed. 



" I will now give, as you request, some account of the labor and discov- 

 ery. On the 22d of February, 1871, I commenced opening the first mound 

 by trenching on the level from the west. The first bones disturbed were 

 the extremities of three individuals buried standing. The femurs, tibia? 

 and tarsi were in good preservation, and maintained their vertical posi- 

 tions so perfectly that one of my companions exclaimed, ' These fellows 

 must have been buried in a barrel.' The more earthy bones of the dorsal 

 and cervical vertebra? had entirely disappeared. My surmise was that they 

 were the sentinels or outstanding guards, with heads above ground 'to 

 watch and ward ' over their superiors in the centre. We next reached a 

 large deposit of ashes and burnt earth, the residuum of a sacrificial fire so 

 intense that not a bone or even tooth was discoverable, over this large bed 

 of undistinguishable rabble, waiting their delivery. 



"Approaching the centre of the mound, and about five feet above the 

 level, we met with a few pieces of pottery, then a whole specimen, and 

 another and another to the number of twenty-five or thirty. I confess now 

 to having felt an almost childish delight at the discovery. I had broken 

 into the domestic sanctum of a venerable Mound Builder ! I had resur- 

 rected his bones and robbed his ancient pantry! I had scattered his ar- 

 mory and rejoiced ! I rejoiced at my folly and my good luck, and why 

 should I not? Messrs. Squier and Davis had said, 'It is much to be re- 

 gretted that none of these remains have been recovered entire in the course 

 of our investigations.' Now bear in mind that they had opened scores and 

 scores of mounds; and I now learn from Llewellyn Jewett, in his 'Grave 

 Mounds and their Contents' of Great Britain, that it must not be supposed 

 that they, (the urns, &c) are often found in a perfect state; on the con- 

 trary, the urns are usually very much crushed. 



" As near central as possible la}' the three great men of the nation; 

 around them matters of use and ornament, urns and vases, beads and ar. 

 rows; adjoining the heads of each, in pairs, a drinking vessel and a food 

 vessel, all once filled, but now alas! skull, urn, and bowl, quite empty, 

 dry, and foodless. Not far off we discovered two skeletons on whose cra- 

 nia the bowls were placed like helmets. I know not whether this was 

 accident or design ; I think the latter. I had no authority to ' prophesy 

 on the bones or make them speak,' but I felt persuaded that my new-found 

 friends had once been mighty leaders, perhaps glorious heroes, in their 

 days of action. 



