412 ARCHiEOLCNJICAL explorations 



the ribs of one of the skeletons obtained, there is some ground 

 for the belief that it may have been the burial place of the victims 

 of a battle on this "dark and bloody ground." Further study 



the race to which they belong. Several crania, a number of other 

 parts of human skeletons, and numerous bones of animals were 

 obtained from this cave. The crania are all of the same char- 

 acter, having quite flat frontal bones and a deep depression ju>t 

 back of the coronal suture, and they are quite different from those 

 of the dry caves, which are high and full in the frontal region. 

 The tibise in both lots show various degrees of flattening. 



That some of the caves were used as places of, at least, 

 temporary residence, was conclusively shown by my exploration 



in American archaeology. This cave, in many respects, ap- 

 proaches the Mammoth Cave in the size of its avenues and 



and lights. For the latter purpose, small piles of stones were 



of dried fagots perhaps smeared with grease. Bundles of these 

 fagots, tied up with twisted bark, were found in several places 

 in the cave; and canereeds, probably the remains of ancient 

 torches of the same character with those found in the Mammoth, 

 Short, and Grand Avenue Caves, were also very abundant. 



The most important discovery in this cave, 'however, was made 

 in a small chamber, about three miles from the entrance, first 

 noticed by my guides, Messrs. Cutlip and Lee. On the dry soil 

 of the floor were to be seen the imprints of the sandalled feet 

 of the former race who had inhabited the cave, while a large 

 number of cast off sandals were found, neatly made of finely 

 braided and twisted leaves of rushes. 



A number of other articles were collected here, and were as fol- 

 lows : a small bunch of the inner bark of some tree, evidently pre- 

 pared for use in the manufacture of an article of dress ; several 

 small lots of bark not quite so fine as that composing the bunch : 

 a piece of finely woven cloth of bark, over a foot square, showing 

 black stripes across it where it had been dyed, and also specially 

 interesting in exhibiting the care which had been taken in darn- 

 ing, or mending a portion of it ; a small piece of finely made 



