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SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



[VOL. SO 



fourteen of these graves, and each one with a similar result — sherds 

 of very common household pottery and bones of antelope only. In 

 one instance only were any other articles found. These consisted 

 of a piece of thick green glass, evidently a portion of the mouth of 

 a large bottle. It appears to have been painted, but I can form no 

 idea with what. From the same grave came a potte^ spindle whorl. 



Among the old huts or remains of huts around, I found two or 

 three iron articles, these being classed with those articles found out- 

 side the main ruin. 



As I can see nothing to be gained by doing further work on this, 



Fig. 19. — a, piece of iron nearly 6 mm. thick, much corroded ; b, iron spear 

 head ; c, portion of iron arrow head ; d, iron bangle, much corroded. Re- 

 duced one-half. 



the Webster ruin, I may be allowed to draw my conclusions con- 

 cerning the ruin generally. 



It has been stated by one of the British South African police sta- 

 tioned at Chipinga, who was asked to make a report on the place 

 before leave was granted me by the government to do some work, 

 that the structure was a fort. This statement appears to me to be 

 quite erroneous. I can see no point about the place which could 

 lead any one to suppose it could have been or ever was intended to 

 have been a fort. 



The exceptional style of building, the monoliths, as it were, 

 guarding the same from the northeast to the southwest, the graves, 

 which are only found between these same points of the compass, go 



