Small Cave

BRIGAND’S CAVE
Although there are a few inclusions of hard, igneous rock, most of the local sandstone is soft enough to dig easily with simple tools and strong enough not to collapse without bracing or supports.

This creek is little more than a trickle in summer time, but it provides clean water for cooking and drinking.

The first chamber is a natural cave, this room is used for cooking and relaxing. The entrance is low (3ft) and a person must crawl in, leaving them at the mercy of any defenders. Fresh, bushy branches are regularly collected and kept just outside the mouth of the cave. They can be quickly pulled in place to conceal the entrance to the hideout. A thin smoke hole has been bored through the ceiling and comes out under a small bush. The brigands collect and carefully dry stacks of hardwood in the cave. There is a tall oak tree on the hill above the cave. A worn and often repaired (and now broken) string leads down the smoke hole to a small wooden clapper. It makes a quiet tapping noise to warn the gang of approaching strangers. Evenings are spent in quiet conversation, making the clapper hard to hear.

The other two chambers were manually dug, with a new branch being built partway along the hallway. From the size of the hill above it, this route appears to be to small for a room, but might be another exit.