162 ANTIQUITIES OF THE OUACHITA VALLEY. 
Mr. Harrell, who had visited us while we were working at a neighboring planta- 
tion and had become acquainted with our methods, heard from employes on his plan- 
tation of the finding of bits of bone and of pottery on the elevation to which reference 
has been made. 
Assisted by a friend, Mr. Harrell caused to be dug in this place an excavation 
about 6 feet by 8 feet in extent, finding numerous skeletal remains, including eight 
skulls which crumbled upon removal. With these skulls were several pots in 
small fragments, and a vessel, oblate-spheroidal in shape, having as decoration, in- 
cised interlocked scrolls made with a tool causing somewhat the effect of cord- 
marking. This vessel Mr. Harrell generously offered us, and, in addition, a small 
“celt” found with some of the bones. 
Having ascertained, with the aid of many trial-holes, the area in which human 
remains were to be found, a circular space about 46 feet in diameter was surrounded 
by our men and completely dug through, the digging being carried on through sandy 
clay darkened with organic matter, to a depth where undisturbed yellow clay was 
encountered. At times this undisturbed clay was but 18 inches down, but occasion- 
ally pits from 2 to 3 feet in depth were encountered. 
The area excavated included slightly more than the aborigines had devoted to 
purposes of burial and, of course, surrounded that part of the elevation already dug 
by Mr. Harrell. 
The condition of the bones in this cemetery varied considerably, most of them 
being badly decayed, while a few were fairly well preserved. Many of the bones, 
especially the skulls, in addition to the ravages of decay, had suffered through 
breakage. 
The majority of bones in the mound were not in any particular connection, 
but were scattered throughout, skulls being found with a few bones lying near them 
and often on them, hence the breakage. Other skeletal remains often lay alone or 
in small aggregations apart from any skull. Presumably these bones were not held 
together by ligaments at the time of burial and hence were interred in no particular 
order, for though some of the bones in this cemetery had been disturbed through 
cultivation, and some had been scattered by aboriginal disturbance, yet many were 
found at too great depth for the plow to have reached, and no disturbing graves 
extended below them. | 
The bunched burial, or rather the symmetrical bunched burial, where long- 
bones were piled lengthwise, had not been attempted. 
Owing to the bad condition of most of the bones and to the disarrangement to 
which reference has been made, it was impossible to take exact account of the various 
burials. However, seventeen burials were exactly noted, all of adults, with two ex- 
ceptions—but these were a small proportion of the interments present in the mound. 
Of the fifteen adult burials, thirteen lay at full length on the back and two 
were extended, face down. 
The heads of all the adult burials were in a southerly direction with the excep- 
tion of three, which pointed ENE. 
