Fig. 45.—Wooden Board (1⁄4).
Instead of pursuing the excavations further in this direction, our means being quite inadequate to clear away the soil at a uniform breadth of about 20 feet all round, we resolved to form a number of cuttings projecting outwards, at suitable intervals, from the circumference of the space already cleared. These cuttings (see Plan, a, b, c, d and e) varied from 10 to 20 feet in breadth, and extended outwards in each case till we were satisfied, from the encroachment of the surrounding clay, that the margin of the crannog had been reached. On the north and north-east trenches the wood-work assumed a most extraordinarily intricate arrangement. It consisted mostly of young trees and branches of birch, the bark of which was quite fresh-like, and distinctly recognisable, mixed with stakes and logs, some of oak, running in all conceivable directions, and constituting a protective barrier,—proof, I should say, against the most violent action of both wind and water. At its inner side, close to the original circular trench, this peculiar structure, which we called trestle-work, was only about 18 inches below the surface, but sloped downwards, at first gradually, and then rapidly, till it disappeared under the clay. At the north-east corner it extended about 20 feet beyond the group of mortised beams, so that the latter could not have been a landing-stage, a theory which was long current amongst the quidnuncs. Near the outer edge of the cutting at this corner (c), there was observed, mixed up with the trestle-work, an oak beam, having two square mortised holes, which must have been originally adapted for a higher purpose than the humble function of packing, which it here served. Lying over the wood-work, and less than two feet below the surface, I picked up portions of a leather boot or shoe, with fragments of a leather lace, crossed diagonally, which had tied it in front; also a small wooden stave like that of a milk-cog. Deeper, and near the outer edge, the workmen found a much corroded dagger or spear head. At the south-east corner (d), a series of upright piles with the remains of a transverse was exposed, but the trestling work had dwindled down to mere brushwood, with an occasional beam mixed up with it. Here the workmen found a thin board made of hard wood, resembling a portion of the end of a small barrel, with diagonal and other markings lightly cut upon it (Fig. 45).
On the south side, external to the refuse-bed, quite a forest of piles was encountered, together with the charred remains of a few mortised transverses and some long beams. From a glance at the Plan it will be observed that, at the cutting e, the outer circle of these uprights curves outwards as if to meet the line of the supposed gangway. It would have been more satisfactory if a larger portion had been here cleared away, and the junction of the gangway with the crannog more accurately determined; but at this particular spot there was such an immense accumulation of rubbish, formerly wheeled from the interior of the mound, that the labour of removing it was too great. The superficial layer of fatty clay appeared here also, and at the point e measured 2 feet 3 inches in thickness. The horizontal beams found at this side, some of which were indicated on the Plan, were from 4 to 5 feet deep, and about the same level some important relics were dug up. Near the point m were found a bridle bit (Fig. 148), a bronze dagger-like instrument (Fig. 145), and a four-plied plaited object made of the long stems of a moss similar to those of which the fringe-like article was manufactured, and referred to on a former occasion. It had the tapering appearance of a cue or pigtail; and measured 17 inches long and about 2 broad in the middle. Near it, and about 5 feet deep, an iron hatchet (Fig. 46), much corroded, but still retaining a small bit of the wooden handle, was discovered by one of the workmen. A few feet to the east of this, and lying across the line of the gangway, a large oar was exposed to view. It was quite whole when found, but being made of soft wood, was so fragile that it broke into pieces in the act of removal. Its extreme length was 91⁄2 feet, and the blade measured 3 feet by 14 inches. The round handle was perforated about its middle by two small holes a couple of inches apart.
Fig. 46.—Iron Hatchet (1⁄2).
Fig. 47.—Iron Knife (1⁄2).
We made no projecting trench on the south-west side owing to the proximity of a network of recent drains, which, if disturbed, might injuriously interfere with the drainage of the field, but from the general appearance of the wood-work we were satisfied that this portion was symmetrical with the rest of the crannog. The ends of flat beams jutted out at the bottom of the cutting immediately on the west side, which clearly indicated a parallelism with the three exposed a little farther north; and towards the south one or two uprights belonging to the outer series were visible.
Having now collected the chief facts regarding the log pavement, its surrounding and superincumbent structures, and the extent of the crannog, we determined to sink a shaft at the lower end of the log pavement—i.e. about the centre of the crannog—for the purpose of ascertaining, if possible, the thickness, composition, and mode of structure of the island itself. This shaft was rectangular in form, and large enough to allow three men to work in it together. After removing the three or four layers of oak planks which constituted the log pavement, we came upon a thin layer of brushwood and then large trunks of trees laid in regular beds or layers, each layer having its logs lying parallel to each other, but transversely and sometimes obliquely to those of the layer immediately above or below it. At the west end of the trench, after removing the first and second layers of the log pavement, we found part of a small canoe hollowed out of an oak trunk. This portion was 5 feet long, 12 inches deep, and 14 inches broad at the stern, but widened towards the broken end, where its breadth was 19 inches. This was evidently part of an old worn-out canoe, thus economised, and used instead of a prepared log. Much progress in this kind of excavation was by no means an easy task, as it was necessary to keep two men constantly pumping the water which copiously flowed from all directions into the trench, and even then there always remained some at the bottom. As we advanced downwards we encountered layer upon layer of the trunks of trees with the branches closely chopped off, and so soft that the spade easily cut through them. Birch was the prevailing kind of wood, but occasionally beams of oak were found, with holes at their extremities, through which pins of oak penetrated into other holes in the logs beneath. One such pin, some 3 or 4 inches in diameter, was found to pass through no less than four beams in successive layers, and to terminate ultimately in a round trunk over 13 inches in diameter. One of the oak beams was extracted entire, and measured 8 feet 3 inches in length and 10 inches in breadth, and the holes in it were 5 feet apart. Others were found to have small round projections, which evidently fitted into mortised holes in adjacent beams.