Council Bluffs bugle., 1855-04-10

lsize of all the doors, both IN the outer aho
uartition walls, with the exception ef'some
subterrsnean entrances, which wsle yet
sm aller. and difficult to find. Thfough
the perfection of,he rocky roof, there was
very littls publish 10 the rconaA.-- From
the FIRST floor we passed through small
hole in the right hand corner to the sec
ond, and there through another hole into
the third, and SO en-. from lett room TO right.
and from gbt to left, all through the "a
rooms; and every wall was supplied with
portfolios.
Fifty yards above this was large cave
with narrow winding entrance, guarded
by high wall; near the mouth of this en-
trance is an opening in the rock, leading
off into the mountain, which we did not ex'
plore, and after little looking and rum
aging about, we found an outlet to the
cave. For three or four miles to this can
on buildings were everywhere in view, of
various forms and Dimensions, and III al
most every stage of decay.
From here to St. Johns river, a dis
tance of ten miles, there were scattering
runs, anu HUN lIiGlG III iLittIS Ai'i 80
east, we came to the head Of a canon,
whose sides or banks, even to the very
head, were perpendicular and sheIvlu5,
ani near the banks there was no soil on
! the rocks. Rightop the bank OF this prec-
ipice, and under the shelves Of rock ba-
meath, were the best building sites for
those beings who built and dwelt here
ages ago.
! Another Stronghold.
1 All around the head of this canon, and
down on either side, as far as we could
see, were houses of every conceivable size
and form; and in places where the soil
was sufficient, they were overgrown with
sage and cedars, in every respect like that
on The mountains around. In the centre
Of this canon, and near the head, was a
building sixteen or eighteen feet square,
four stories high, and built upon & flat
rock about four feet higher than the level
of the bed of the canon, and little broad
er than the building; TO this we could not
find an entrance. aud, unlike all the rest
it had no portfolios.
One large building, which we entered
stood on the edge of the preclpioe, with
its front wall circular and flush with the
bank, which formed the back par;, ma
king the ground plan Of the building Ike
haif-moon. There were no windows il
The lower story of any building, and ev.
cry entrance was made as difficult as pos
sib.e. The door, or hole, into the one las
mentioned was guarded by two or nlree
walls of different angles; thus making {
crooked, narrow passage TO the door, ant
every part Of this passage was in full view
from th4 port holes of the building, The
front wall being full of them, like pigeon
holes, pointing IN every possible direction
they were not more than two inches in Ill
ameter on the outside, and were pasterel
smooth on the inside with a kind of ce
ment, with which the stones are laid and
the rooms plasterel, and is just as hard a;
stone.
The inside arrangement OF all the hou
ses was much alike, all having portfolios
in the part, ion walls. and va rp cn, all Q nd
obscure passage WAYS from one room to
another, and from one or two houses, into
the mountain Some on the cliffs above
were connected with those below.
We noticed there was no water a5ou
there, aud inquired of the Indians how tie
former inhabitants could have managed
They told US that they had heard that a
lon5 time ago there was wafer rlnnin9
there We asked them who built those
houses ? They smiIingly shook their head:
and said they had never heard, but thai
surely somebody must have built them d
very long time back.