CERTAIN ABORIGINAL MOUNDS, COAST OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 157 



but turning red on exposure, was moist and soft when uncovered but hardened to 

 the consistency of a sun-dried brick upon contact with the air and sunlight. It was 

 homogeneous, containing no admixture of sand, gravel, stones or vegetable fibre. 

 In its moist condition, inside and out, it had received the impression of the oyster- 

 shells over its entire surface, thus rendering impossible the determination as to any 

 incised decoration or the like. 



At irregular distances, usually but not always between consecutive uprights, 

 on the top of the wall, were semi-circular depressions from 2 to 4 inches in diameter, 

 which had undoubtedly held ends of poles serving as rafters. A 

 careful examination of the interior of some of these depressions 

 indicated, by an increased height toward the inner surface of the 

 wall, that the poles had slanted upward at a considerable angle. 

 Other depressions were too much broken or indented by oyster-shells 

 for any determination. It is probable that boughs rather than clay 

 were used as a covering in the construction of the roof, as no frag- 

 ments of clay lay upon the floor of the structure, and the sheets of 

 clay in the shells, to which we have referred, were by no means 

 sufficient in area to represent a roof. 



There were present in the floor of the structure numerous 

 circular holes representing ends of former supports, some of which 

 probably upheld the roof. 



Considerable excavations were made under the corners and 

 doorway of the structure without result. 



The entire floor of sand, darkened by admixture of charcoal, 

 was dug through at a depth considerably below any marks of occu- 

 pation, which extended from 3 to 5 inches in depth, except in the 

 case of post-holes, to which reference has been made. Some of the 

 holes, of considerable diameter, were filled with oyster-shells, and 

 were probably open when the filling-in began, but the great ma- 

 jority, smaller as a rule, contained dark sand and midden refuse, 

 bits of deer bone, charcoal, potsherds, etc. One of these sherds 

 bore the familiar complicated stamp. Another was unusually good 

 1 ware with dark and hard interior. In one post-hole were a number 

 wan'^tOueTuai- °^ carD onized fragments of very slender corn-cobs. These holes 

 tersize.) containing midden refuse, but no oyster-shell, we considered to 



belong to a period antedating the disuse of the structure and to have been filled 

 before the bringing in of the oyster-shells. 



Toward the center of the floor, as shown on the ground-plan, was a fire-place 

 about 6 feet in diameter, showing considerable use, as the sand was hardened and 

 reddened to a depth of about 5 inches. On the floor near the eastern wall was a 

 projection or large knob of clay, like a seat, circular with rounded top, 9 inches in 

 height and 1 foot 4 inches in diameter. 



Fourteen inches from the surface, beneath where a fire had been, was the 

 skeleton of a very young infant. 



