FIELP AND FOREST. 9 



Leaving the town we followed the river bottom to the eastward for 

 nearly three miles and found ourselves at the foot of a mesa, which 

 from the surroundings seemed to be the desired spot ; at first sight it 

 appeared unapproachable, but upon a careful search a rude trail was 

 discovered which led to the summit, and we saw before us the pueblo. 

 A brief description of the appearance of the top of the mesa and ruins 

 may perhaps be permitted. Seen from above, the mesa presents the 

 appearance of a table land and is simply a promontory of land in a tra- 

 pezoidal shape, and two approaches to it were seen on either side, 

 which were water-washed canons ; the front and sides of this promon- 

 tory are steep and precipitous and admit of no access, and are from one 

 hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high. A better position for de- 

 fence could hardly have been chosen, as the defenders of the town in 

 ancient days had no fear of artillery, without which, an attack could 

 hardly have been successful. The ruins before us indicated that the 

 town had been built in the shape of a double L, having open areas on 

 either side ; at the anterior south-western corner had been a circular 

 tower, doubtless to defend the approach from the western canon, 

 and another defended the only entrance to the town. The walls of 

 black vesicular lava, had been built double and the partition walls 

 showed the division of the building into dwellings or rooms. The 

 dimensions of the town have already been given elsewhere, so are 

 now omitted. In one of the areas were the remains of a circular es- 

 tufa. On each side of the town were noticed two small arroyas or 

 water-washed ditches within thirty feet of the walls, and a careful 

 examination of these revealed the objects of our search. At the bot- 

 tom of the arroyas, which have certainly formed subsequent to the 

 occupation of the village, we found portions of human remains, and 

 following up the walls of the ditch, we soon had the pleasure of dis- 

 covering several skeletons in situ. The first found was in the eastern 

 arroya, and the grave in depth was nearly eight feet below the surface 

 of the mesa. The body had been placed in the grave face downward, 

 the head pointing to the south. Two feet above the skeleton were 

 two shining black earthen vases containing small bits of charcoal, the 

 bones of mammals, birds and partially consumed corn, and above 

 these "o/las" the earth to the surface was filled with pieces of charcoal. 

 Doubtless the remains found in the vases served at a funereal feast 

 prior to inhumation. We examined very carefully this grave hoping 



