130 



HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



or circular habitation. In its primitive condition, the 

 cairn or hillock of Chateleys had the figure of a cone 

 with an oval base, and was 98 feet in length, and about 

 66 feet in width. The neck of land which served for its 

 foundation was naturally in the form of an amphitheatre ; 

 and the covering of stones, formed of large pieces, con- 

 tained absolutely nothing, and appeared to have been 

 constructed solely with a view to protect the bed of 

 debris covering the floor of the interior, against the effects 

 of time and the cupidity of mankind. All around the 

 -"^tone which formed the altar, were spread long tracks of 

 cinders mixed with charcoal, fragments of vases, and the 

 calcined bones of men and horses. To one side of these 

 extinguished fires, lay scattered on the ground the maxil- 

 lary bones of pigs and the skeleton of a bear. In the 

 middle of the hearth, which occupied the north side, were 

 found successively a little triangular file, 2^ inches in 

 length (fig. 11); the fragment of a thick flat file, nearly 



an inch in width; a small chisel i^ 

 inch long, intended to be fixed in a 

 wooden handle (fig. 12); three iron 

 cinders or scorice ; two morsels of 

 bronze castings about i inch thick, 

 one of which was ornamented with 

 round points, executed with the grav- 

 ing tool ; a large iron hammer weigh- 

 ing 5 pounds, and still retaining six 

 iron wedges which had been used to 

 fix the handle (fig. 13). Not far 

 from this hammer-head, under the 

 heap of cinders that extended to the 



fig. la 



fig. II 



