Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/195

PRE-niSTORIC ARCHiEOLOGY OF EAST DEVON. IGl the cliff beneath, has almost obliterated the fort that crowned it ; to the same agency we owe the accident that the southern face of the surviving portion of the vallum has been laid bare, whereby a deposit of charcoal, extending to a length of about 50 feet, and several inches in thickness, has been ex- posed to view. This occurs at the eastern extremity of the rampart ; it may be referred to the remains of beacon-fires kindled as the signals of war and invasion, when perhaps the natives had already learnt to watch the horizon for the dreaded fleets of the Gaul or the rude Norse Viking. At such a period they would retreat within their stronghold as soon as the enemy w^s spied in the offing, and would lie there secure until the spoilers set sail again in quest of some less watchful prey. It is equally possible that the charcoal marks the remains of the bonfires which formed part of the festive or religious rejoicings of the tribe by whom the strong- liold was occujned. Following the line of charcoal towards the west, at a few paces distant from it, and at about the same horizontal level below the crest of the rampart, there occurs a layer of bones interspersed with charcoal in dust and in small fragments, extending to a length of about 30 feet ; in some places this bone-bed is nearly a foot in thickness, and is of unknown width. The bones which are thus numerous are generally well preserved, more or less discoloured, and have lost a portion of their weight. They consist of the remains of hog (j>robably wild, from the size of the tusks), deer, and ox (hos lo?ic/ifro?is). ]lany of the bones are split longitudinally as if to facilitate the extraction of the marrow ; Mr. Pengelly suggests that the object of fracturing the bones longitudinally was for the purpose of fabricating the fragments into awls, needles, harpoons, and other implements. The presence of industrial products also was indicated by several rounded pebbles of various sizes, extraneous to the local formation, and doubtless collected from the neiiihbourinir beach ; some appeared to be sling-stones, others bore marks of abrasion on their edges, and had probably been used as hammers or pounders, without a handle, for the purpose of cracking the bones. We also found nodules of flint, such as occur in abundance on the tops of the neighbouring hills ; with them were cores of dark-coloured flint from which flakes had been struck, and also fi'agmcnts or chips detached