ETHNOLOGY. 385 



present by several feet than it was forty years ago. This mound has 

 been only imperfectly examined, and nothing found beyond a vessel or 

 two made of clay and slightly burned. No bodies have yet been found 

 in the mound or around it. 



There are graves and a mound on my place, which have been carefully 

 examined. The mound is near the middle of a valley, on the east side 

 of Flyun's Creek, about one hundred and twenty yards from the stream. 

 It is about forty yards in diameter and at the present time over 6 feet 

 above the general surface of the land. Surrounding the base of this 

 mound were placed loose, rough stones, forming a wall of 4 or 5 feet 

 high. I have made excavations into this mound, and in different parts 

 of it found that it is entirely filled in every part with graves just as close 

 to one another as they could be placed. They are found at the present 

 time from 18 inches to 2 feet below the surface, where there are no 

 washings ; this seems to be their usual depth. The graves are not con- 

 fined to the mound, for the surrounding valley, containing fifty acres or 

 more, is filled with them as close as they can be placed. These graves 

 are generally in an east-and-west direction, and sometimes facing the 

 southeast, and occasionally, where the rock interfered with the position, 

 they are found without regard to direction, compactness seeming to 

 have been the leading idea. A great many of these graves have been 

 opened. They vary from 18 inches to 5J feet in length, and skulls, with 

 the jaw-bones still fastened to them, have been found ; also ribs and 

 leg-bones ; in short, all the solid bones of the human body, with little 

 sign of decay. 



The manner of burying seemed to be as follows : The graves vary in 

 width from 10 to 18 inches ; the coffins consist of slates, at the bottom 

 of the grave, closely fitted together ; then slate set upon the sides and 

 at the ends, all of the same height, of about 15 or 18 inches. These 

 slates are generally in their rough condition, and the bodies seem to 

 have been deposited, and then one or two slates or other stones, smoothly 

 dressed or polished, laid over them. The stones are closely fitted 

 together where two are used, and, from the compactness, seem to have 

 been united with cement. The lid rests on the upright stones, and gen- 

 erally projects over the sides 3 or 4 inches. When these graves are 

 opened, they are found dry within, and generally contain some toys, 

 consistingof small jugs, crocks, skillets, or other small vessels, made of 

 clay, with the image of a man, eagle, or some other bird, evidently 

 stamped on them while in a soft state. The vessels vary in size from 

 the capacity of a pint to that of a gallon. They have been burned 

 slightly, but in no case have any been found glazed. There is at this 

 time one of these vessels or jugs, at T. L. Settle's, in Gainesborough. 

 Some of them have legs and handles. 



These graves were first discovered about fifty years ago, when the 

 valley as well as the mound were covered with a dense forest, composed 

 of trees of a large size. A violent storm blew over some of the large 

 trees, upturning the roots, and thus uncovered the graves 

 25 s 



