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not be induced to believe that our explorations were for any other 

 purpose than that of finding this buried treasure. 



Time will not allow of my going more into the details of out 

 work. Suffice it to say that two other pits Avere opened out at 

 Pen proper with the like results, traces of human occupation 

 singularly absent, but indications of quarrying for " Pen stone" 

 present in every instance. One charming bit of evidence may 

 be brought forward. After the pit, which was called the 

 " Counterscarp Pit," had been dug down to the natural ground, 

 two members of the Committee visited it again a few days 

 afterAvards, and in the presence of a local mason carefully burrowed 

 into the North side of it, Avhich was found to be entirely made up 

 of disturbed ground, and extracted therefrom several blocks of 

 " Pen stone" with distinct marks of tooling upon their seemingly 

 freshly broken faces in the form of irregular longitudinal markings, 

 extending from the outside into the interior, showing how the 

 workman had split the fragment off from the larger block in the 

 process of manufacturing the article which he wanted. It was 

 necessary to be very careful in extracting these fragments, lest the 

 freshly-broken surface should be in any way stained or discoloured 

 by its surrounding matrix and the tool markings obliterated. 

 Several of these blocks were preserved, and are now in the Taunton 

 Museum. Now comes the question how these markings were 

 made ? with what instrument ? The mason who was present at 

 the time unhesitatingly recognised them as the marks left by a 

 mason's " kevil" or " kevel," which had a pointed tail at one end 

 and a round head at the other, a tool I believe long since disused. 

 These broken fragments Avere the only traces found throughout 

 the diggings outside the more modern eaitliAvorks, Avhich gave one 

 a hint, however slight, as to the objects and the tools of the men 

 Avho sunk these pits. You Avill, after this brief sketch of the 

 explorations, be prepared to hear that the conclusions forced on 

 the Committee (with tAvo exceptions) by the evidence afforded by 

 the diggings at Caspar and Pen Pits were : — 1. That these pits 



