302 HISTORY OF A WHITE WOMAN^ 



Wales. About four years and a half ag'o she left 

 More ton Bay with her husband in a small cutter 

 (called the America)^ of which he was owner^ for the 

 23urpose of picking- up some of the oil from the 

 wreck of a whaler^ lost on the Bampton Shoal^ to 

 which place one of her late crew undertook to g'uide 

 them J their ultimate intention was to go on to Port 

 Essing-ton. The man who acted as pilot was unable 

 to find the wreck^ and after much quarrelling' on 

 board in consequence^ and the loss of two men by 

 drowming'^ and of another who was left upon a small 

 uninhabited island^ they made their wa}^ up to 

 Torres Strait^ where^ during* a g'ale of wind^ their 

 vessel struck upon a reef on the Eastern Prince of 

 Wales Island. The two remaining- men were lost 

 in attempting- to swim on shore through the surf^ 

 but the woman w^as afterwards rescued by a party 

 of natives on a turtling* excursion^ who^ when the 

 g-ale subsided^ swam on board^ and supported her on 

 shore between two of then' number. One of these 

 blacks^ Boroto by name^ took possession of the 

 w^oman as his share of the plunder ; she was com- 

 pelled to live with him^ but was well treated by all 

 the men^ although many of the women^ jealous of 

 the attention shewn her^ for a long time evinced 

 anything but kindness. A curious circumstance 

 secured for her the protection of one of the principal 

 men of the tribe a party from which had been the 

 fortunate means of rescuing her^ and which she after- 

 wards found to be the Kowrarega^ chiefly inhabiting 



