NO. 14 ARCHEOLOGY OF BAY ISLANDS, HONDITRAS STRONG 5I 



of French Harbor. Mr. Dixon reported havinj^" seen pieces of broken 

 pottery some 20 years earlier while prospectint;- for new plantation 

 land on the high ridge behind the settlement. Lacking more promis- 

 ing leads, Haskell and I, with Jerry Borden and Joe Sal)a, accompanied 

 him on a search for this place. 



Thk Dlxon Site 



Heading northeast from the settlement, we climbed a series of 

 steep ridges initil we reached the central, east-to-west ridge that forms 

 the backbone of the island. Cutting our way through dense brush, 

 we climbed this ridge, which reaches an altitude of some 750 feet. 

 Here our guide appeared at somewhat of a loss, as well he might after 

 so long a time, but began a diligent search for two " Adam's Needle " 

 trees which marked the spot. According to Dixon, these rather small, 

 thorny palms (probably a species of Bactris) nearly always occur 

 near pottery deposits on the ridges. After considerable vain searching, 

 Haskell and I sat down to appreciate the view which, from here, 

 takes in both sides of the island. To the north the ridge breaks 

 ofif almost precipitously down to a coastal strip around Big Bight, 

 the plantations of a few Black Caribs, who are the sole occupants of 

 the north shore, coming close up to the steep central ridge. On the 

 south an equally extensive view is likewise revealed, but the mountain- 

 ous mainland was shrouded in the smoke of plantation-clearing fires, 

 which at this time of year darken both the islands and the mainland. 



Rather to our surprise, one of the boys returned to say that they 

 had found the site. It proved to be on the highest part of the ridge 

 in this vicinity, which formed a knob some 40 feet wide and about 

 90 feet long from east to west. To the north this space was edged by 

 limestone rocks, which dropped otT precipitously over the rim ; to the 

 south the slope was more gradual but still rather steep. As is the case 

 along the entire ridge there was dense vegetation over all, including 

 the steep northern face. Through the bush, however, limited glimpses 

 of both sides of the island could be obtained. The site is located about 

 2 miles from French Harbor in a northeast direction, but the " trail " 

 to the site is about three times that distance. The knob is some 20 

 to 30 feet higher than the rest of the ridge but is not visible as a 

 distinctly higher area from any great distance. 



There were no artificial constructions marking the place. The two 

 small " Adam's Needle " trees, remembered by Dixon, and a few 

 plain sherds unearthed in soil-testing many years before were the 



