11^ 



GREGORY BAY TOMB. 



Jan. 1828. 



station three miles within the Second Narrow on the north 

 side, and in our way we found the geological structure of the 

 cliffs to be of a decomposed clay-slate, arranged in strata, much 

 distorted by the violent action of the water, and dispersed in 

 vertical and inclined directions in very thin laminae. 



These cliffs are about one hundred feet high, the soil a sandy 

 alluvium, of a sterile character, scantily covered with a wiry, 

 stunted grass, and here and there a berberis bush, loaded with 

 ripe fruit, which, from the poverty of the soil, was tasteless 

 and dry ; the ground was also, in many parts, over-run to a 

 considerable extent with an insipid cranberry, scarcely worth 

 the trouble of gathering. 



We struck across the country, with the view of examining 

 the place where the Indians were residing at our last visit, and 

 the tomb which had then been erected. Grass had grown up, 

 and effaced the traces of feet ; but the tomb had suffered no 

 farther alteration than the weather mioht have effected. We 



o 



found that the place had been recently visited by the natives, 

 for within a few yards of the entrance were strewed the ashes 

 of a large fire, containing vestiges of the former decorations of 

 the tomb, and the end of one of the flag-staffs, with the unburnt 

 corner of one of the banners. Amongst the ashes, also, we 

 found calcined bones ; but whether they were human or not, 

 we could not ascertain. 



The discovery of the bones impressed us with the idea that 

 the body had been burnt, and determined me to examine the 

 tomb. The bushes that filled up the entrance appeared to be 

 placed exactly as when we first saw them, and indeed the whole 

 pile seemed to have remained quite undisturbed ; but there was 

 no appearance of the brass ornaments, or of the effigies of the 

 horses. 



Having effected an opening in the bushes, we found an 

 inner covering, made of horse-skins. Having cut two holes 

 opposite each other, for the admission of light, we saw nothing 

 but two parallel rows of stones, three in each rov/, probably 

 intended as a bier for the body or a covering for the grave ; 

 but the ground around and between them bore no appearance 



