360 EXAMINATION OF BOYDAN ISLAND. 



returnin<^ from furlough. Being an infant, his 

 helj)lessness excited the sympathies of an Indian 

 woman, who snatched him from the arms of his 

 murdered mother, and sheltered him within her own. 

 Nor did her kindness stop here, the never-failing 

 maternal solicitude of the sex, inducing her to pro- 

 tect and console the child. We had just read Cap- 

 tain P. P. King's interesting pamphlet in relation 

 to this sad event, detailing with minuteness all the 

 circumstances of the tragedy, and with our minds 

 so recently imbued with the horrors it inspired, 

 naturally advanced to the search with zeal and 

 activity ; anxious, if possible, to place the locality of 

 its occurrence beyond a doubt. The isle was easily 

 traversed, being of small extent, not more, indeed, 

 than a mile in circumference. We crossed it ac- 

 cordingly in every direction, and discovered the 

 remains of native fires, near which great quantities 

 of turtle bones, and some cocoa-nut shells were 

 scattered about. It was remarkable that where- 

 ever boughs were cut, an axe or some other sharp 

 instrument had been used. A topmast with the 

 lower cap attached to it, was found on the S. E. side 

 of the island, which we afterwards discovered to be 

 a portion of the brig William, wrecked on the outer 

 barrier three months before. 



Captain King drew his conclusions relative to 

 this island from the circumstance of young Ire- 

 land's stating, that on their way to it in the canoe, 

 after leaving the raft, they first passed three islands 



