48 L. HARGRAVE. 



usual to call gods, but know the object I wanted could not 

 be mistaken for one of them. 



In April 1907, Mr. Riley said that after he left Hogar, an 

 old woman said the contents of the hut were removed and 

 buried before the building was burnt. The natives had 

 turned up the ground all round the site, in places to a depth 

 of three feet, but found nothing. I then requested Mr. 

 Riley to open and minutely inspect anything the natives 

 brought him, so that I should not be imposed upon by a 

 trumpery imitation, as the natives knew the appearance 

 of what I wanted and could make another to suit the 

 occasion. In October 1907, a great part of the island had 

 been turned up with no result. 



The reason Hogar was selected as the proper place for 

 the hut and its contents, when most if not all the Spaniards 

 lived at Murray or Darnley was that in August, September, 

 or October 1606, Torres after leaving Orangerie Bay, New 

 Guinea, passed within gunshot of Hogar, even if he did not 

 anchor there. The news would soon pass to Murray Islands, 

 even if De Vega did not himself see the ships from Darnley. 

 Where is the sheller who cannot picture the Eroob man 

 speeding to the eastern shore, where De Vega lived, with 

 the tidings ; the rush for a canoe ; the wild sail in chase ; 

 the splashing outrigger ; the mat sails : the baling and 

 assisting paddles ; the widening distance till off Nahr-ge 

 (Mount Ernest) hope vanished and the ships disappeared 

 towards Moo-re-lug (Prince of Wales); the landing at 

 Nahr-ge ; the sympathetic cries and condolences of the 

 people at the disappointment and despair of their friend 

 De Vega ? 



After this, a short canoe voyage would make it certain 

 that the Fly River rollers and Warrior Island reef, and the 

 position of the eastern reefs and Bramble Oay, rendered 

 the passage of Torres Straits impossible except by the N.E. 



