FOWKH] ANTIQUITIES OF MISSOURI 4] 
for while the upper part had become charcoal, the lower side was 
only scorched. 
The northern half of the vault was filled with earth—some hard 
burned, some only partially burned, the remainder free from traces 
of fire—whose thoroughly mixed condition showed that it had not 
been burned where found, but gathered from some place where a 
large fire had been maintained for a considerable time; a wagonload 
of it was of brick-like hardness. No remains were found in this deposit 
or in any part of the vault except near the bottom. Here, in the 
east corner, were partially cremated small fragments of bones; at 
least two skulls, perhaps more, were represented, and there were 
bones from all parts of the frame, mingled as if swept together and 
thrown into a basket. Among these were two bone beads an inch 
long; also, in an inverted position, a pot holding a pint, with small 
projecting points at intervals around the outer edge of the rim. In 
the south corner, in a pile, partly under a large flat rock, were frag- 
ments of cremated skull, vertebrae, and arms. Northwest of these 
was an extended skeleton, not charred in the least, from which the 
arms and upper parts were missing. The burned skull was in posi- 
tion to belong to this frame; but it was very clear that all these 
bones had been burned elsewhere and carried here, since they lay in 
earth not marked in the slightest degree by fire and entirely unmixed 
with charcoal or ashes except such as had been thrown in with the 
bones. There were hard-burned feet bones at the other extremity of 
this skeleton. Altogether, appearances indicated that the head, arms, 
and feet had been removed from a body and burned, the remaining 
parts deposited in their natural condition, and then an attempt made 
to place the burned bones where they belonged. On the face of it, 
this supposition seems absurd; the idea would naturally suggest 
itself that the entire body had been laid down and a fire made over 
the head and feet only. The objections ‘to this hypothesis are the 
lack of traces in the earth which would result from the use of fire, and 
the bunching of the partially cremated arms, vertebre, and skull, 
instead of their presence in the places where they belonged. 
The entire bottom of the vault was covered with cremated skele- 
tons; the bones were so broken and mingled that it was impossible to 
ascertain the number, but there were at least a dozen, and may have 
been twice as many. The loose surface soil had been scraped away 
before they were deposited; they were then laid on the hard bottom 
and covered either with the same earth, or with other earth carried in 
from the surrounding slopes. Flat rocks were lying over a few of 
the skeletons, but most had no such protection. Some unburned 
bones were found at intervals, but, from their situation, all appeared 
to belong with the cremated ones. <A few shell beads were found near 
the center, and there were two entire pots besides the small pieces of at 
