134 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



Auto transportation over the " wide open spaces" to the Knight 

 ranch was provided by L. I). Harris of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. The road, merely a series of parallel ruts in 

 the sunbaked earth, was limited as to width by the colonies of prairie 

 dogs on the one hand and cactus plants on the other. During the dry 

 season these roads are sufficient, but during the spring when storms 

 break in the mountains traffic stops. The numerous arroyos which we 

 crossed on our way to the ranch seemed very dry. Upon our return 

 to Marfa, however, a storm broke between us and the main highway. 

 We drove at full speed, trying to reach a large arroyo before it filled. 

 We were too late. Bridges over these washes are unheard of ; the road 

 simply drops into them and rises on the other side. Rather than camp 

 all night along its bank we raced with the water to another crossing 

 10 miles away. We reached the crossing just as the water began to 

 flow into it — ten minutes later and we would have had to sleep in the 

 car. 



To D. G. Knight, who made me welcome and placed the ranch house 

 at my disposal, and to his mother, Mrs. Mollie B. Knight, I am in- 

 debted for their hospitality and cooperation. They were interested in 

 the excavation and were always willing to facilitate the work. 



The cave I came to examine lies 400 yards from the Knight ranch 

 house and on the west side of a small canyon whose basaltic walls rise 

 200 feet or more. Although only 100 feet above the valley floor, the 

 cave entrance is well concealed and very difficult to photograph ( fig. 

 127). Huge fallen rocks block its narrow opening so that it had been 

 unknown until 1923 when a fox which Mr. Knight was chasing con- 

 veniently found it. The infrequent rains have not penetrated beyond 

 the opening, so within the main chamber all was perfectly dry. 



The task of excavation would have been much simpler had it been 

 possible to remove the rocks at the entrance. But these supported the 

 cave roof (fig. 128), so that it seemed treacherous to remove even the 

 rocks we did in order to make an entrance 4 feet wide through which 

 to remove the dirt. To reach the main chamber we were at first forced 

 to crawl on our hands and knees over the sharp cactus spines that the 

 pack rats had carried in. Excavations began in the entrance way. 

 Enough dirt was removed to permit entering in a semi-erect posture. 



Our aim was to reach bed rock, and, with this as a base, carry for- 

 ward our trench always trying to keep a perpendicular face. Three 

 distinct strata appeared before we reached bed rock. The top 8 inches 

 consisted primarily of rat dung. Beneath it was a stratum of dry earth 

 2% feet thick in which the artifacts and other evidences of human habi- 

 tation were found. The remaining 6 feet to bed rock was made up of 



