82 



Easier Island. 



SiFONE. jM'IGtb 



the door posts of some ot the ancient stone houses are inscribed 

 vvi'h hieroglyphics that appear occasionally upon the tablets. 

 The tablets secured by Mr. Thompson were, one 9}^ inches by 

 3^, and the other 243^ ii;ches in length by 4^' in width. 



The houses found on the 

 island were of the most 

 primitive style of architec- 

 ture, built close together in 

 parallel streets, facing the 

 sea. They are built of 

 small slabs of stratified 

 rock, piled together with- 

 out cement. They are not 

 of uniform size. 1 he aver- 

 age interior measurements 

 would be about 14 feet in 

 length by 6 in width, but a 

 few were found of double 

 that size. The walls are 

 about 5 feet thick and the 

 roofs are composed of long 



'^y , 'l^\'i!]S''-\^~mf''''^^W'^''iMi'.^'-. roots are composed of long 

 -^^.^'i-^!^\s^''''^mif' flat_ slabs of ^granite upon 



which mounds of earth 

 have been piled. They have no windows and the doorways are 

 on a level with the ground and so small that it is difficult for a 

 large man to gain an entrance. The distance between the floor 

 and roof is about 5 feet 2 inches, and the interiors are generally 

 lined with slabs, upon which are painted figures of birds and ani- 

 mals. 



The natives who occupied these houses were small of stature 

 and the contracted entrances are believed to have been designed 

 as a protection against their enemies. 



The most important sculptured rocks werefound in the vicinity 

 of these houses. The hard rocks are cut to represent human 

 faces, figures, birds, fish, and animals. These sculptured rocks 

 are very much decayed by time and they are evidently more an- 

 cient than the houses. One figure, reproduced upon almost 

 every rock, seemed to be half human and half beast, with bowed 

 back and long claw-like legs and arms. Some slabs taken from 

 one of the houses which was torn open represented some sort of 

 marine animal with a bird's head and beak. Another represents 

 the same sort of an animal with another head. Another repre- 

 sents the animal with two heads, turned toward each other. The 

 natives say there is a significance in the position in which these 

 heads are placed. A number of roof and wall slabs were taken 

 from these houses carved with nondescript figures. Some ancient 

 skulls were found among the ruins with mystical figures carved 

 on them. These were supposed to have come from the king's 

 platform. The workshops where the great stone images were 



