The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-12-02

of man who dWclt ages ago IN cave
at lMugcric Basse. in the French Depart
mcnt Of the Dordognc. Long ages be-
fore Troy was hcsiegcd or Jerusalem
built. this savage hunter drank Of the
water OF the little River Nc2crc. which
still tinlilcs past the cavern on It's pas
sage 10 the blue. sunny BAY of HiScay
that dimplcs and i'tshcs hard by.
lie died in his sleep. and 10y an acct
dent to which these savage masters OF
Europe seem to have been very liable
A. he lay, limestone block from the
root of the cave fell upon his neck and
chest. leaving the head unlniurcd. \
wellshapcd. largely developed head
it was. more like, SO craniologists tie
clare. to Il Grecian skull than to that
of Caiib or IL Mongol. the head of one
who could appreciate beauty, and was
not devoid of the artistic instinct. lie
was indeed not merely mighty hunter,
used to grapple with hrutcs more terri
bile than our continent can now show,
buta draughtsmam of no mean pre-
tensions, as we shall presently see.
The great cave near Langcric Bassc.
behind the picturesque Gorge 1t Enter,
and called the Mousticr from some fan
cicd resemblance to Il medieval minister
or church, was known to be rich IN
animal remains. Bones and teeth once
belonging to the monstrous cavc-hcar,
the long haired cavc-lion. the great tiger
in comparison with which the iicrccst
denizcn of the Bengal Jungle is but puuy
thing and of the hyenl, were dragged to
light along with the bones of horse and
OK, stag and rcinLccr. the bison of the
\ ortll and the ibcX oI the hills. Quite re-
Gently. and after hard work with pick,
shovel and gunpowdcr, the way was
cleared to the spot where lay the buried
man of the cave himself.
He had lain down to rest, no doubt,
after the fashion of all blrbarians, fully
dressed. but time had rottcd away every
scrap of the bears fur and dccrskin
that clothed him. His ornaments have
proved more durable, for his broad
collar and bracelets lay in fragments
around him when the scarchcrs reached
his rocky couch These were entirely
composed of PERFORATED sca-shclls ftwo
varieties of the Yr"HS Cyprca, only
found in the Mediterranean, and un-
known in that stormy Atlantic which
foamed and rolled within II league or so
of the wild mans grave. Here was Il
fact, then, resting ON indisputablc cyi-
lence; either by commerce or by mig
ration the hunters Of Western Gaul could
procure the products Of the far-olt South
ern Sea.
These shells, faded with age and damp,
had once been of IL rare lustrc and beau
tv. Each WAS somcW hat larger than 1t
pigeon egg. transparent as porcelain,
and while half of them were of Il silvcry
mousc-gray, the rest were of IL light
red color, so that the contrastcd hues
must have produced an effect which
modern jewelers. would not dcspisc.
At some pnccs off, amidst the rubbish
which Uttered the uneven floor, were
picked up, first Il sketch of Il horse S
head, scratched with flint or bone, on
the horn of IL buck, then similar
sketches. of Il wild cat, of the antlcrcd
head Of IL stag, and of II hare. Lastly
was found, executed with the rudest
tools, no doubt, and on part of the horn
Of reindeer, II really admirable en-
craving which represented fiwn IN the
act of running. a similar sketch on
mammoth ivory and representing II
mammoth, had been found in II cave,
eight years earlier, IN AuvcrSne.
The great prcpondcrancc OF reindeer
bones in the Mousticr proved that these
animals, now confincd to Scandinavia
and Lapland, were the chief game prrsu-
ed by the nomadic people who dwclt III
in caves, while the ornaments of snb-
tropic shells suggest II winterly migra-
ton southwards to escape the severe
frosts which must have been general in
Gaul. II country which could at best
have presented but Il softencd prototype
of the Greenland of to-day.