38 EXPLORATIONS OP INDIAN GRAVES. 



paint. It should have been mentioned that from this trench was procured a femur 

 showing evidences of a fracture through the neck of the bone, which had become ab- 

 sorbed, the head iiniting to the upper portion of the shaft between the greater and 

 lesser trochanters. Further search revealed at the same depth a mortar, covered by 

 the shoulder-blade of a whale, which also contained the skull of an infant covered with 

 an abalone shell, while near by were paint, a piece of iron, a nail, and various shell orna- 

 ments and beads. Near at hand, to the rear, were a broken mortar and pot, underneath 

 which was a small olla, the whole covering the skull of a child ; and a little deeper a 

 skull resting upon a fine, large, pear-shaped steatite olla, the outside of reddish color. 

 These remains appeared to have been inclosed in a sort of fence, as a plank and stakes 

 of decayed redwood were near by. At the bottom of this trench, just above the firm 

 clay, and under all the specimens just described, was a fine sandstone pestle 17i inches 

 in length. 



June 11. — Continued in same trench, advancing in a northerly direction toward 

 trench No. 1. At a depth of 4 feet were two skeletons, and near them was a square 

 cake of red paint; alongside were two more skeletons, over one of which was a large 

 mortar, mouth downward, and close by another similar utensil, tinder this skeleton 

 were an instrumeut of iron 14 inches in length, a long iron nail, and two pieces of red- 

 wood, much decayed. A little farther in was a small canoe carved from steatite. All 

 the skeletons were face downward, heads to the north. In trench No. 1 the digging 

 was continued in a southerly direction. The first object encountered was an enormous 

 mortar, 27 inches in diameter, with its pestle near by. This article was on its side, the 

 month toward the south ; around it were no fewer than thirty crania, some in a fair 

 state of preservation, and others very friable, broken, and worthless. Lying on top of 

 this mortar, on further removal of the earth, was an almost entire skeleton, with frag- 

 ments of long bones and of steatite pottery. As surmised by some of the party, the 

 perfect skeleton was that of a chief, and the remains those of his slaves slain with him ; 

 which is at least a possible, if not a plausible, view of the case. 



Experience by this time had taught us that nearly all the burial-places or spots 

 had been carefully marked, since near the head of each skeleton were either bones of 

 the whale or stakes of redwood. 



Being obliged to leave for Los Angeles June 12, for a few days, Mr. Bowers was 

 employed to continue the work, who, up to June 25, secured the following articles from 

 the two trenches commenced, viz, 32 skulls, 24 large steatite ollas, 6 large mortars, 7 

 large pestles, 2 small serpentine cups, 7 tortilla-stones, 7 abalone shells, 3 iron knives, 

 4 stone arrowheads, 1 iron ax (of undoubted early Spanish manufacture), quantities of 

 glass and shell beads, paint, shell ornaments, black seed of the character previously 

 mentioned, 2 pipes, 2 soap-root brushes with asphaltuni handles, and a copper pan 8 

 inches in diameter, which was found covering the top of a skull — the copper evidently 

 having preserved a portion of the hair, which was quite black and silky, and not coarse, 

 as is usually the case with Indians. 



June 25. — The same excavation No. 2 was continued, and 3 crania were uncovered, 

 also an olla containing the bones of a child, not far from which were 3 mortars and 2 

 ollas. Just above the stratum of clay the most interesting discovery was made of an 

 entire skeleton, which had been buried in a redwood canoe, but which was so decayed 

 that only a small portion could be preserved. Near the head of the canoe were a large 



