prevent them from falling in, was
started 25 feet out from the entrance, on a level which gave it a
depth of 61/2 feet at the highest point of the talus, thus carrying it a
few inches into the clay which was the original floor of the cave.
This depth also brought it well below the level of the little pool
inside. When its greatest depth was reached the excavation was at once
widened to 25 feet, thus reaching well toward the cliff on either
side. Growing trees and large rocks made a greater width here
impracticable.

In the talus were flint implements, none small enough for arrowheads,
some well finished, others roughly made, a few being shown in plate
15; three sandstone mortars and fragments of four others; probably 100
cobblestones used as hammers and pestles, some of them pitted on the
sides, a few showing marks of much use (pl. 16, A); a small, very
solid piece of hematite worn round by use as a hammer; a small,
imperfect tomahawk made of quartzite (pl. 16, B, a); many mussel
shells, some used as knives and scrapers; animal bones, some of them
worked into implements, including a perfect skiver (pl. 16, B, b);
several pieces of hematite and limonite used as paint stones (pl. 16,
B, c); many fragments of pottery, some of them worked into disks and
perforated (pl. 16, B, d); occasionally small deposits of charcoal,
ashes, and burned earth. The meager amount of artificial material, and
its random distribution, as if one piece was lost here, another thrown
there, throughout the talus from the present surface to the underlying
clay would appear good evidence that the cave was never used as a
place of permanent abode, but merely provided temporary refuge at
intervals extending over a prolonged period.

[Illustration: PLATE 14
CAIRNS ON ROUBIDOUX CREEK, SIX MILES FROM WAYNESVILLE, MO.]

[Illustration: PLATE 15
FLINTS FROM SELL CAVE, NEAR WAYNESVILLE, MO.]

[Illustration: PLATE 16
A, Pestles or grinding stones
B, Celt, pottery disks, paint stones, and skiver
OBJECTS FROM SELL CAVE]

[Illustration: PLATE 17
Skull from Sell cave. a, Front; b, profile
Skull from Bell's cave, near Waynesville. c, Front; d, profile
Skull from Miller's cave. e, Front; f, profile
THREE SKULLS FROM PULASKI COUNTY, MO.]

None of the pottery was decorated in any way, though most of it was
cord-marked; no piece was found which had a handle or a foot.
Nearly half a bushel of pieces was found, fragments of many diffe