58 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 76 



through the day, and lias the advantage of sunshine at the season 

 when this is most needed. Big Piney, like all streams in the Ozark 

 region, is extremely crooked and its bed is a continuous succession 

 of riffles and pools, or eddies as they are locally known. In front 

 of the cave is one of these pools nearly a mile long and at lowest 

 stages fully 15 feet deep in places; even now it yields an abundance 

 of fish, turtles, frogs, and mussels, all of which are important items 

 in the aboriginal dietary. 



A fourth of a mile above the cave Big Piney makes an abrupt 

 turn, coming to this point from the southeast. Here it receives the 

 outflow from a large spring located at the foot of the hill, a fourth 

 of a mile to the southward, which boils up in a pool 40 feet across 

 and at its lowest stage discharges several thousand gallons every 

 hour. Its volume responds quickly to a heavy rainfall and to the 

 succeeding period of fair weather, although its level never passes 

 above oi below certain fixed points. A singular feature of this spring, 

 one which has given it a wide reputation, is its rhythmic ebb and flow. 

 With absolute regularity, regardless of atmospheric conditions, it 

 swells for six hours, then subsides for an equal period, stages of high 

 and low water occurring at the same hours every day. The extreme 

 range of level is about a foot. Intermittent springs are not un- 

 common ; but the regularity of this one is remarkable, particularly 

 so as its action is not affected by changes in the volume. A dam 

 was built below this spring by the father of Mr. Miller to furnish 

 power for a mill ; when the mill was not running the noise of the 

 falling water, reenforced by the echoes from the hills around, could 

 be heard a long distance and gave it the title of Roaring Spring. 

 The Indians had a name for it which was interpreted by the whites 

 as " Blowing Spring ;" but as there are no unusual currents of air 

 in the vicinity it is probable the proper translation would be 

 " Breathing Spring," on account of its recurrent motion. The 

 branch from this spring, following a course along the foot of the 

 hill, is wide and shallow, though swift, and is nearly filled with 

 a dense growth of long, moss-like vegetation which was greedily 

 devoured by deer, herds of them being frequently seen in the water 

 by early settlers. 



From the mouth of the cave several hundred acres of fertile alluvial 

 land can be seen along both banks of the river. In the bottom land 

 lying nearest to the spring branch — which is itself entitled to be 

 called a creek — and extending southward to Miller's residence, 

 partly on an upper terrace, but mostly on the low land, was a village 

 site on which were formerly many small mounds which from the 

 description were undoubtedly hou'Se mounds. Mortars occur in 

 numljers, while fragments of pottery and flint, as Avell as many 

 unbroken implements, were formerly abundant to a depth of several 



