THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER, FLORIDA. 189 



About one-half mile in a northerly direction inland was a tumulus 4 feet 9 

 inches in height, with a base diameter of 45 feet. It was leveled to the ground by 

 the kind permission of John P. Pratt, Esq., manager of the Borden Estate. 



The mound was composed of whitish sand with occasional pockets of charcoal. 

 It was unstratified and without clearly marked base. 



In the extreme southern margin of the mound, where it was almost level with 

 the surrounding territory, two feet from the surface, lay the skeleton of a man buried 

 at length in anatomical order. The head was toward the west. Parallel to the 

 body was a flint-lock musket or rifle, the muzzle toward the feet. In association 

 were 14 spherical bullets. The bones were in fairly good condition. 



In the northern portion of the mound where its full height was attained, 3 feet 

 from the surface, lay the skeleton of a woman, with a layer of superimposed bark. 

 Near the cranium were silver earrings of European pattern and the cervical verte- 

 bras had in association a great quantity of oval white glass beads, and five brass 

 (not copper) finger rings. On the chest were many small round beads of the same 

 color and material as the others. Additional ones were present around the wrist. 

 With the left hand were four bits of glass, the largest, oblong, about 1 by 2 inches. 

 In the bones of the right hand, resting against the upper portion of the femur, was a 

 mass of bright red pigment, dissimilar to the red ochre of other mounds. Chemical 

 tests show this coloring matter to be mercuric sulphide — the cinnabar of commerce. 



Somewhat south of the centre of the mound was a male skeleton at length, 

 with head pointed northwest. Alongside la}' a flint-lock rifle or musket, muzzle 

 toward the feet. With it were a bone-handled awl and probabty the remnants of a 

 powder horn, the base partially studded with brass-headed tacks. In addition, was 

 an object of iron with a gun flint in contact, probably a flint and steel. 



Four or five sherds lay in different portions of the mound, none in association 

 with the bodies. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



The results of this investigation are of deep interest in connection with the 

 river mounds, and from them we may draw the following conclusions : — 



1. That at least one low tumulus 1 was built by the Indians of the St. John's 

 in post-Columbian times. 



2. That their most valued possessions were buried with them, including brass, 

 not copper, and that articles of European make, when in possession of the Indians, 

 were freely interred, even the easily obtainable red oxide being supplanted by the 

 commercial cinnabar. 



Orangedale, St. John's County. 



A symmetrical little mound stood about 200 yards from the river, within sight 

 of the road at Orangedale. Its height was 6 feet, its base diameter 36 feet. It 



1 The mound was of irregular shape, and riot the usual truncated coue. 



