TAKEN BY THE BLACKS. 303 



Muralug', or the Western Prince of Wales Island. 

 This person, named Piaquai, acting' upon the behef 

 (universal throughout Australia and the Islands of 

 Torres Strait so far as hitherto known) that white 

 people are the ghosts of the aborigines, fancied that 

 in the stranger he recognised a long-lost daughter 

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

 to the relationship which he thought had formerly 

 subsisted between them ; she was immediately ac- 

 knowledged by the whole tribe as one of themselves, 

 thus ensuring an extensive connection in relatives of 

 all denominations. From the head-quarters of the 

 tribe with which Gi'om thus became associated being 

 upon an island which all vessels passing through 

 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 go 

 through every summer without anchoring' in the 

 neighbourhood, so as to afford the shghtest opportu- 

 nity of making' 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 

 would 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 signals to thpir friends 

 in Muralug, she was successful in persuading some 

 of her more immediate friends to bring her across to 



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