The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-08-06

whereabouts Of the individual, but could not
As all tho footsteps We're alike, they conc2ud36
that there could be only one person living upon
it. Many attempts were made to find out who,
and where this strange being wass but without
avail, until one of California's Oldest pionesrs,
Mr.. Nedevir-the gentleQan Who related the
story-went over to look fk her. He having
spent many years as a hunter and trapper IN the
Rocky Mountains, was expert a. an Indian in
following a trail, and consequently found but
little difficulty in discovering the track, which he
followed until he saw a singular object among
the rocks upon the sea shore, near the mouth Of
a ravine, upon Its knees, skinning q SEAL Upon
approaching, he found it to be q woman, clad in
a singular dress of feathers. When she saw him,
she jumped up, and with excessive Joy ran toward
him, and seemed almost beside herself with wild
delight at the sight once more, of a human being.
In her hand she held a rude knife-blade, that she
had made from a piece of old iron, probably
obtained from the fragment Of some wreck, and
which she evidently valued beyond anything else
in her possession. She was unable to make herself
understood, except by signs; In making which she
showed a great amount of intelligence, and sig
nifed her willingness to him tc Santa
Barbara. Here Father Gonzales, of the Mission,
took the greatest pains to discover some of the
Indians who had been taken from those islands
eighteen years before, but no one of them could
be found, and what became of them is a mystery
unto this day. Not ore Of the Indians within
q " hs@Ly AAAASo SOoAA w AoonA
who could understand her she could only COM
municate by signs.
1t appears from her narrative, that after leav-
ing the vessel in search Of her child, she wandered
about for several hours, and when she found it,
the wild dogs, which infest the island, even to
the present day, had killed and nearly devoured
it. We can better imagine the feelings of a
mother at such a time, than describe them.
When she returned to the spot where she had left
the vessel, to tell her sorrow for the loss Of her
child, that too was gone, ard was bearing away
her kindred and friends from her sight. Could
she have realized, then, that for eighteen long
years she must live alone in the world, without
one kind word of comfort, one cheering look from
a friendly eye, or one smile of recognition, it
would have been too much for even her wild
but womanly nature to bear, and with her, as
with US, it is well that we know not the future.
From day to day she lived in hope, beguiling the
weary hours in providing for her wants. With
snares made of her hair she caught birds, and
with skins, properly prepared, she made her
clothing. Her needles were neatly made of bone
and cactus thorns; her thread was of sinews from
the seal. In these and many other articles found
in her possession, she exhibited much of the
native ingenuity she possessed.
Whether she still remembered her own Ian
guage or not will forever remain a mystery.
She was very gentle and kind, especially to chill
dren, and nothing seemed to please her more
than to be near them, and the poor woman would
often shed tears while attempting to describe, by
signs. her own little one which had been killed
and eaten by the wild dogs. The sympathy felt
for her welfare caused the people to supply her
bountifully with everything she chose, and the
result was, that in about six months after her
escape from her lonely exile, she sickened and
died, having undoubtedly been killed with kind
ness.