TAKEN BY THE BLACKS. 303 



Muralug^^ or the Western Prince of Wales Island. 

 This person^ named Piaqnai^ acting* npon the belief 

 (universal throug-hout Australia and the Islands of 

 Torres Strait so far as hitherto known) that white 

 peojile are the g-hosts of the aborigines^ fancied that 

 in the strano-er he recoo'nised a lono*-lost dauo-hter 



o O O o 



of the name of Gi(a)om^ and at once admitted her 

 to the relationship which he thoug'ht had formerly 

 subsisted between them ; she was immediately ac- 

 knowledg-ed by the whole tribe as one of themselves^ 

 thus ensurino- an extensive connection in relatives of 

 all denominations. From the head-quarters of the 

 tribe with wliich Gi'om thus became associated beins: 

 upon an island which all vessels passing* throug'h 

 Torres Strait from the eastward must approach 

 within two or three miles^ she had the mortification 

 of seeing' from twenty to thirty or more ships g'o 

 throug-h ever}^ summer without anchoring' in the 

 neig'hbom'hood^ so as to afford the slig'htest opportu- 

 nity of maldng* her escape. Last year she heard 

 of our two vessels (described as two war canoes^ a big- 

 and a little one) being' at Cape York — only twenty 

 miles distant — from some of the tribe who had com- 

 municated with us and been well treated^ but they 

 w ould not take her over^ and even watched her more 

 narrowly than before. On our second and present 

 visit, however, which the Cape York people imme- 

 diately announced by smoke sig'nals to their friends 

 in Muralug', she was successful in persuading* some 

 of her more immediate friends to brino- her across to 



