The Diaries
 
November 5th 2008
:: 2008 :: 10/27 - 10/28 - 10/29 - 10/30 - 10/31
11/01 - 11/02 & 11/03 - 11/04 - 11/05- 11/06 - 11/07 - 11/08 & 11/09 - 11/10 - 11/11 - 11/12 - 11/13 - 11/14 - 11/15 - 11/16 - 11/17 - 11/18 - 11/19 - 11/20 - 11/21 - 11/22 - 11/23 - 11/25 - 11/26 - 11/27 - 11/28
11/29 - 11/30
12/01 - 12/02
- From satellite to the conch -  

Overview of the small building
Photo : Jean-François REBEYROTTE

Laurent Hoarau made wonders and our connection works again, but we are a little anxious to see it surviving till the end.

While two diggers assist Nick Marriner to take a reading of the sedimentary layers in the zone of the furnace, the rest of the team concentrates on the zone of the habitat of the slaves.

After some additional clearings obviousness suddenly appears to us, it’s not only about a wall but of an entire small building whose walls were preserved. The bottom wall is still missing but with a little chance, it is under rubbles in the east of the zone where we excavate. Towards the west there is a door which we did not release yet.

Along the side a turtle’s carapace is pressed on the Southern wall. By clearing the ground soon appears: a large dish at least 50 cm in diameter also supported vertically against the Northern wall, it seems to be tin, because it is a greyish colour and its base seems shaded, just next to it is an iron fang and three hooks, two very large measuring nearly 15 cm long and a smaller one. Almost at once another large tin dish appears posed flat on the ground and in the middle a big bowl of the same metal. The big dish seems very shaded, only thing that remains is the wing of the dish. The bowl is in better state. We are in the extreme limit of the zone of excavation and sand falls from the side which overhangs the objects. We recover everything with sand and decide to clear the neighbouring zone, to locate the bottom wall and work peacefully with the released objects. The zone is encumbered with large velvet maker’s which need to be cut, and of which the roots go underground.

Detail of the copper containers and the triton
Photo : Max GUEROUT

Lunchtime (and the nap) interrupts the work.

From the beginning of the afternoon the bottom wall is released, the building measures 2, 4 m long and 1, 6 m wide, the walls are approximately 1 m thick and carefully built, they are kept on a height of about 60 to 70 cm.

The interior clearing resumes again and we go from surprise to surprise when successively six copper containers piled up one in another appear. The last contains a large shell: a triton (conch) of about twenty cm. Another large tin dish posed flat on the sand and another copper container. This small building was thus used for the kitchen utensils and the precious objects. It leaves a peaceful impression of order.