NO, 14 ARCHEOLOGY OF BAY ISLANDS, HONDURAS STRONG 



75 



CAVES I AND 2 



The site where artifacts had heen found proved to be a cave 

 (cave I, fig. 17) and a rock-ledge shelter (cave 2, fig. 16). The two 

 are about 90 feet apart and just above the level of the swamp. Sam 

 had found this site in gathering coconuts and had previously guided 

 Mr. Mitchell-Hedges to the place. Cave i (fig. 17) had a steep ap- 

 proach and two entrances, only one of which was large enough for 

 a man to enter easily. The walls were considerably blackened by 

 smoke. There were no signs of any recent fires. No floor deposit of 

 any extent was present, and aside from the smoke-stained walls the 

 only evidence of aboriginal occupation were a few unslipped red 

 potsherds in the crevices and on the abrupt slope before the cave. 

 Excavations in the black, evil-smelling muck below the cave, however, 



Fig. 17. — Diagram of cave i, Helena. 



yielded a considerable number of artifacts. The artifact-bearing area 

 appeared to be roughly semicircular, with about a lO-foot radius, 

 directly in front of the cave. In the muck and ooze no deposition 

 lines were visible, and no artifacts were found below 2 feet in depth. 

 They occurred irregularly from the surface to this depth. Broken and 

 unbroken conch and whelk shells were abundant, and the miscellaneous 

 artifacts recovered suggested that the place had been a temporary 

 living site. Our excavations were limited by the short time available, 

 and it is probable that more extensive work, especially with some 

 sort of screen and washing technique, would yield a goodly number 

 of specimens in addition to those obtained by Hedges and by our own 

 party. However, the deposit next to the cave seemed to be exhausted 

 when our work ceased, and I am inclined tO' believe that the entire 

 site is one of very limited extent. Grubbing in the black, oily mud 

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