e Pecos, where he had often seen
the skeletons (las calaveras, the corpses) washed out of the cliffs and
strewn about. At Mrs. Kozlowski's, this also appeared to be a known
fact; but an examination of the creek banks showed no trace of bones,
and showed no other structures except the mound already mentioned on the
left shore. In the cliffs of the basin which I have now described I met
with the first sign of what Sr. Ruiz called "El Campo-Santo de los
Indios, antes que fueron Cristianos." Still it is not at all positive,
because the surface of the level west of the bluff shows extensive but
flat and low mounds, covered with stones used for building, and with
painted pottery, showing that at least adjoining the human remains a
very large building, if not several, had stood at some very remote time.
The wall would then stand towards that ancient structure in the same
relation as the mound or chamber _V_ stands towards the ruin _A_ on the
_mesilla_; and it would indicate the custom on the part of their
inhabitants of burying their dead around their houses, or at least in
sight of the rising sun, and in little chambers of stone. This view is
corroborated by the statement of Mr. E. K. Walters, of Pecos, that at a
place which I have marked _a_ (therefore to the north of the wall) he
dug out, very near the edge of the bluff, a stone grave, and with it a
human skeleton. The grave was a rectangle, walled up on four sides, with
stones on the top and no floor. The western side was rounded, so as to
present the following plan:--

[Illustration: Grave]

In it lay the skeleton, two feet below the soil, the feet pointing
eastward. The length of the chamber was about one third of a large man's
body; the head lay at the west end, amongst the bones of the chest. It
had therefore been buried in a sitting posture facing the rising
sun.[127] Along with the body arrow-heads were found, and pieces of
tanned deerskin, such as are still worn by the Indians. Of course, all
traces of the skull, etc., have since disappeared.

While this conversation was taking place, the partner of Mr. Walters,
Sr. Juan Basa y Salazar, came in, and the question of the great bell
(which I have already mentioned) came up for discussion. All the parties
assured me that this bell formerly belonged to the church of Pecos, and
that after the outbreak of 1680 the Indians carried it up into their
winter pueblo, on the top of the high mesa, where it broke and they left
i