At the rear end
of the roof a hole was cut, into which we fitted a piece of stovepipe. We
didn't plan to have a fire in the house, but set the stovepipe in place to
provide the necessary ventilation. As the pipe had an elbow in it, there
was no danger of rain or dirt falling through it. The upper end of the
stovepipe was concealed among some rocks at the top of the knoll.
A suitable flooring was now laid in the passageway, and the sides were
boarded up to a height of 2 feet from the floor at the entrance to a
height of 3 feet 6 inches at the inner end. A roof of slabs was nailed on,
and then we were ready to cover our slab house with dirt.
Covering the Cave.
We avoided piling on the dirt very deep, because there was danger of
breaking in the roof with a heavy load. A thin layer of sand covered with
the top-soil brought up the level to about that of the rest of the knoll.
Then the sod was laid back in place and well watered, and the few bushes
planted back in their original positions. Our sodding should have been
done in the spring for best results. The frost soon killed the grass, and
the bushes withered away. But a few cents' worth of grass seed was sowed
in, and in time gave the knoll a very natural appearance.
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