Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-06-27
A WILD WOMAN.
BY CHARLES B. LEWIS.

BY CHARLES B. LEWIS.
OF what Is known as Northwest cape,
on the eastern side of Australia, are a
group of seven islands. The outermost
one, which is 70 miles from the main
land, is called Lighthouse island, although
there has never been a lighthouse erected
there.
1t is an island two miles long and al
most as broad, the foundation of coral,
and is entirely covered with trees and
bushes
Whaling vessels bound up the Java
coast often call there for wood and water,
and In tho year 1910 a British ship was
wrecked there and % men lived on the
island for ten months before being taken
off.
In the year 1879 1 was one of the boat
s~teerers in the lucky old ~whaleship Lily
Smith of New Bedford, and after a cruise
of IA months without a man stepping foot
ashore we were bearing up for Lighthouse
island to renew our wood and water and
feel the earth under our feet once more.
| We reached a point within about four
miles of the island just at shutdown one
night when the wind failed lis, and after
the ship had drifted in for another mile on
the tide we came to anchor In seven faith
oms and made all snug. As the weather
was fine only an anchor watch was kept,
and all went we'll until about midnight.
Then some one was discovered padding
around the ship on a small raft, and an
! nlnr,,s xx,n vuicod that tI1rrp0 ont all
hands. Some of the men insisted that 1t
was a negro, but with their nightglasses
to aid them the officers were quite as Ger
tain that it was a woman in a half nude
state. They said she had long hair, mar
row shoulders and handled her paddle
with a certain awkwardness never seen in
a man. In a general way we knew that
the island was not inhabited, though
probably visited at intervals by natives
from the other islands and by shell gath
erers and fishermen. The person on the
raft may have been sent out to spy or us
previous to an attack, or may have been
some lone individual impelled solely by
curiosity. Whoever it was he disappeared
as soon as an alarm was raised, and we
heard nothing more during the night.
Next morning, as soon as breakfast had
been served, 20 Of us went ashore with the
axes and water casks, and, for fear we
mi grt meet with adventure, four OF the
men were armed with muskets. AS we
landed On the sandy beach of a little cove
we saw a small and queerly constructed
raft pulled up on the sands, and leading
away from 1t were the tracks of human
feet. It needed but a glance to show that
| ALc- ~ro,o %bo foof,nrtrtc IF a uyO1non and
as we noticed the construction Of the raft
the dullest sailor could figure that no man
ever put 1t together. We felt certain that
there was a woman on the island, and az
she had pulled off to the ship alone 1t
might be inferred that she was solitary
and alone amid the trees. There was a
we'll defined path leading from the beach
into the woods, and as we were In search
Of water a part Of us took this path while
the others began telling trees. At about
90 rods from the beach we came upon a
fine spring from which we could fill our
casks, and for several hours, or until the
captain came ashore, no one penetrated
farther. After dinner, being satisfied that
the woman was alone on the island, and
her failure to come near us being proof
that she was not In her right mind or was
some native female who feared us, six
men were detailed to go in search of her.
A few rods from the spring, where the
forest was more open, we came upon q
rude hut with a smoldering fire at the
door. The hut was made of sticks, stones,
shells and mud. Tho sticks had been
broken off by hand, and the shelter was a
fairly good one against any sort of wealth
or. In the interior we found q bed of dry
grass, shells which were used for cooking
utensils, and what might be called the re-
mains Of q lady's hat, dress, cloak and a
pair of shoes. All these things were old
and ragged and ready to fall to pieces, but
they proved beyond adoubt that the WON.
an was a white woman. We argued that
they further proved that she had reached
the island from some wreck. II the loneli-
ness Of her situation and the hardships to
which she had been exposed had not affect
ed her mind, she would have appeared be.
fore us as o az we had landed. We be-
Ran our search for her by calling aloud,
telling who We were and asking her tc
come forward, but there was no response,
We then separated a distance Of a few feet
and swept across the island. We found
many places where she had broken of
branches and gathered wild fruit, and or
the other beach we found her tracks In thu
sand, but nothing could be seen Of thu
woman herself.
A our stay at the island would he fol
thres or four days, the captain orderet
that bedding and provisions be placed II
the abandoned hut for use Of the woman
and that We should make no further hun
for her. A letter wa written and placet
with the things, giving her the name o
the ship and saying we were friends, ant
then we went about our own work. A
night va all went in board ship, and mex
morning IL was ascertained that the won
an had spent the night In her hut. Sh.
had made q bed of the blankets and eater
Of the provisions, but she had torn the let
ter into five pieces and that probably with
ont reading 1t. We were satisfied, how
ever, a. she must reason that we mean
her. no harm, and we hoped to got sight o
her BY the time we were ready to depart
We heard nothing Of her on the secont
day, nor the next, but she occupied he
hut again and ate heartily Of the provi
sions. We left other letters for her, but sh'
tore each up. On the fourth day, as VI
had quite finished, II was determined t.
rum the woman down and discover VIII.
~ was. 10 make . speedy and thorough