Page:Archaeologia volume 38 part 2.djvu/193

Rh standing, later tenants, even in the present century, have stripped it of its verdant turf, cut a waggon-road through its centre, and dug for flints and chalk rubble in its sides, by which its form and proportions have been much injured. In spite of all this, however, the great old mound, with its grey, time-stained stones, among which bushes of the blackthorn maintain a stunted growth, commanding as it does a view of a great part of the sacred site of Avebury, has still a charm in its wild solitude, disturbed only by the tinkling of the sheep-bell, or perhaps the cry of the hounds. Shade, too, is not wanting ; for on the north side of the barrow, occupying the places once filled by the encircling upright stones, are, what are rarely seen on these downs, several ash and elm trees, of from fifty to seventy years' growth. At the foot of the hill, half a mile away to the east, lies one of those long combs or valleys, where the thickly scattered masses of hard silicious grit, or sarsen stone, still simulate a flock of "grey wethers," which, as Aubrey says, "one might fancy to have been the scene where the giants fought with huge stones against the gods." From this valley there can be little doubt were derived the natural slab-like blocks, of which our "giant's chamber" and its appendages were formed.

On proceeding to examine the barrow we found it to be 336 feet long, 40 feet wide at the west end, and 75 at the east. Its elevation was somewhat less at the west than at the east end, which at the highest point was about eight feet. The stones projecting from and scattered over the mound, are all within 60 feet from its eastern end. Three large flat stones, those most to the west, and lying in a row,