FEWKEs] FOUR-MILE RUIN 139 



ern. This is not a uuiversal law, but it can be relied on with fair cer- 

 tainty. Ruins on hilltops have, as a rule, higher walls above ground 

 than those in the plains, even when the}' are of equal age. Cliff houses, 

 on account of their sheltere<l position, preserve their standing walls 

 longer than any other type. No doubt one reason why pueblos of 

 the plain, especially such as those in the valley of the Little Colorado, 

 so seldom have free walls above ground, is their burial by tlie dense 

 sand storms wliicli sweep over them, especially in the spring months. 

 Tlic destructive rains in time wasli through their roofs, and water, 

 making its way into the joints of the upper layers of the walls, causes 

 them to topple over, forming debris at their base. These forces take 

 time, but, except in those ruins whicii hav(* walls wholly of stone, the 

 most ancient are reduced to simple mounds peneti-ated l)y house walls 

 which never rise above the .surface of tlie ground. 



SuBURBAX Ovens 



In searching for the nortli cemeterj' the author began a trench 

 just outside of the bounding wall, and on excavating a few feet 

 below the surface found several cysts like those at Kintiel, which 

 were filled with ashes and charred wood. These are interpreted as 

 subui'ban ovens. Similar structures were found at Chevlon in 1896, 

 and it is not improbable that they will later be fouTid in many other 

 ruins of the Little Colorado river. 



Many authors have referred to the absence of fireplaces in ancient 

 pueblo rooms, and the existence of chimneys in preliLstoric times has 

 not yet been proved. The discovery of suburban ovens indicates 

 that cooking was done in the open, just as is the case with certain 

 kinds of food in modern pueblos. 



Cemeteries 



It was with considerable difficulty that the author was able to find 

 the burial places of this pueblo, and .some time was consumed in the 

 search. In the ruin at Honiolobi and on Chevlon creek the inter- 

 ments were discovered just outside the outer walls of the pueblo, and 

 it was natural to look in these places for burials at Four-mile ruin. 

 Extensive trenches failed, however, to reveal any indication of the 

 dead in this part of the mounds. Xo ])urials were found close under 

 the walls. 



In the course of an examination of the level region some <listance 

 north of the mounds, near the river bank, the author unexpectedly 

 discovered a human bone projecting from the soil. This indication 

 was suflficient, and systematic work in the vicinity brought to light 

 many skeletons and mortuary olijects. 



There can not be a doubt that in the time winch has elapsed since 

 the burials were made the stream has encroached upon this cenie- 



