CXXVl 
LIFE OF WILSON. 
exerted himself in my behalf with all the ardour of an old friend. 
A large Indian mound in the vicinity of this town has been lately 
opened by doctor Drake, who showed me the collection of curiosi- 
ties which he had found in that and others. In the centre of this 
mound he also found a large fragment of earthen ware, such as I 
found at the Big Grave, which is a pretty strong proof that these 
works had been erected by a people, if not the same, differing lit- 
tle from the present race of Indians, whose fragments of earthen 
ware, dug up about their late towns, correspond exactly with these. 
Twenty miles below this I passed the mouth of the Great Miami, 
which rushes in from the north, and is a large and stately river, 
preserving its pure waters uncontaminated for many miles with 
those of the Ohio, each keeping their respective sides of the chan- 
nel. I rambled up the banks of this river for four or five miles, 
and in my return shot a Turkey. I also saw five or six deer in a 
drove, but they were too light-heeled for me. 
In the afternoon of the 15th I entered Big Bone Creek, which 
being passable only about a quarter of a mile, I secured my boat, 
and left my baggage under the care of a decent family near, and 
set out on foot five miles through the woods for the Big Bone Lick, 
that great antediluvian rendezvous of the American elephants. 
This place, which lies ‘‘far in the windings of a sheltered vale,” 
afforded me a fund of amusement in shooting ducks and paroquets, 
(of which last I skinned twelve, and brought off two slightly woun- 
ded,) and in examining the ancient buffalo roads to this great lick- 
ing place. Mr. Colquhoun, the proprietor, was not at home, but 
his agent and manager entei tained me as well as he was able, and 
was much amused with my enthusiasm. This place is a low valley 
everywhere surrounded by high hills ; in the centre, by the side of 
the creek, is a quagmire of near an acre, from which, and another 
smaller one below, the chief part of these large bones have been 
taken ; at the latter places I found numerous fragments of large 
bones lying scattered about. In pursuing a wounded duck across 
