any of them, as if made with bullets, arrows, or
other weapons. I conjectured that in this barrow
might have been a thouſand ſkeletons. Every one
will readily ſeize the circumſtances above related,
which militate againſt the opinion, that it covered
the bones only of perſons fallen in battle; and
againſt the tradition alſo, which would make it the
common ſepulchre of a town, in which the bodies
were placed upright, and touching each other.
Appearances certainly indicate that it has derived
both origin and growth from the accuſtomary
collection of bones, and depoſition of them together;
that the firſt collection had been depoſited on
the common ſurface of the earth, a few ſtones put
over it, and then a covering of earth, that the ſecond
had been laid on this, had covered more or
leſs of it in proportion to the number of bones,
and was then alſo covered with earth; and ſo on.
The following are the particular circumſtances
which give it this aſpect. 1. The number of bones.
2. Their confuſed poſition. 3. Their being in
different ſtrata. 4. The ſtrata in one part having
no correſpondence with thoſe in another. 5. The
deifferent ſtates of decay in theſe ſtrata, which ſeem
to indicate a difference in the time of inhumation.
6. The exiſtence of infant bones among them.
But on whatever occaſion they may have been made, they are of conſiderable notoriety among the Indians: for a party paſſing, about thirty years ago, through the part of the country where this barrow is, went through the woods directly to it, without any inſtructions or enquiry, and having ſtaid about it ſome time, with expreſſions which were conſtrued to be thoſe of ſorrow, they returned to the high road, which they had left about half a
