ABORIGINAL SITES ON TENNESSEE RIVER. 219 
grave eut through still another fireplace, it is possible that the position of this 
one may have been accidental and that all these fireplaces belonged to the dark 
midden layer and not to the graves. 
The slabs of this grave were not let into the soil below the level of the floor, 
but seemed to have been simply placed on edge on the floor of the excavation and 
apparently had bulged out after the completion of the grave. At all events four 
slabs covering the grave, a large one and three small ones, had fallen in between 
the slabs constituting the sides. The upper margin of the side slabs, moreover, 
was very irregular and could have afforded but little support to the covering 
slabs. 
The grave, outside measurement, was 4 feet in length and about 2 feet wide 
at the central part. Its depth, estimated from the top of the side slabs, was 1 
foot 5 inches. It was not oblong, but converging and rounded at the end where 
the skull rested. 
On the fireplace which served as a floor, was the skeleton of an adult, the head 
directed E. The trunk lay on the back, the head pushed forward on the chest. 
The thighs were partly drawn up to the right, with the legs flexed against them. 
The right arm lay along the body, as did the left humerus, but the left forearm 
lay across the trunk. There was no room to spare within the grave, the skeleton 
being in contact with the slabs at the head and foot, and at the foot of the grave 
some effort had been necessary to accommodate the bones, the width of the grave 
not having been sufficient, originally, to receive the thighs and pelvis if placed 
horizontally on the floor. In consequence, the thighs were angled against one 
side of the grave. 
In the grave with the skeleton no artifaets were found, but on the upper side 
of one of the top slabs that had fallen in was an undecorated bowl which fell into 
bits on removal. Seemingly this bowl had been placed on the grave after the 
arrangement of the slabs and before the earth was filled in. 
Burial No. 2, traces of a skeleton of an adult, about 3 feet down, extended on 
the back, the head directed S. 
Burial No. 3, remains of the skeleton of a grown person, which had been 
flexed to the left, the head 8. 
Burial No. 4, crowns of the teeth of a child. This burial, as well as the preced- 
ing one, was 20 inches deep. 
Burial No. 5, a stone grave. From the surface of the mound to the top of 
the grave the distance was 2.5 feet. Above the grave were scattered human bones 
indieating that another burial had been disturbed in the making of the stone 
grave. 
The supporting slabs of this grave, in single thickness, had been arranged in 
a manner similar to those described in connection with Burial No. 1 in this mound, 
and consequently they slanted outward to a considerable extent, with the excep- 
tion of the slab at the foot of the grave only, which remained vertical. Hence, 
the covering slabs had fallen in, some resting squarely on the bones which they 
