Page:The Native Tribes of South Australia (1879).djvu/153

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DAILY ROUTINE. 87 been telling them that all lean people went to hell, and fat people to heaven. I find the right word for wrong-doing in a moral sense is wirrang warrin. Our daily routine was as follows: —At 6 a.m. in summer and 7 in winter, the bell rang as a signal for every one to get up. From that time until 7.30 was occupied in giving out rations to the aged, infirm, and sick, and weighing out the school rations for the day. At 8.30 I gave the children their breakfast. At 9.15 we had morning prayer, and after that school until 12. Then at 1 p.m. I gave the children their dinner, and at 2 had afternoon school until 3.30, Then the children went off to play, and I had time to write letters and look after any business requiring attention. This was the time I gave to translations and visitations of the camps. At 5.30 in winter and 6.30 in summer the children had supper, and immediately after we had evening prayer, and then the children went into their bedrooms and were locked in. At 9 the lamps were taken away, and every one retired for the night. On Saturday nights we gave all the children a complete change of clean clothes. On Sundays we had worship twice, and Sunday school. My wife was matron of the school, and the making and mending of clothes came heavily upon her. After some trouble we got the natives to cook the provisions for the children, and also to act as servants in the schoolhouse. But in about two years I felt quite overworked; it became necessary that I should have some help, and a young man named Alfred M. Stapley was appointed to assist me, and was for several years my zealous and faithful co-worker; but his physical strength became unequal to the work, and he had to seek other employment. In 1861 there was a lad of about thirteen years of age in the school named Mokooni; he was of a nice disposition and very intelligent. One day he was taken ill through eating green sheoak apples; and his parents, with my consent, took him to their own wurley to nurse him. I gave him some simple medicine, not anticipating any danger. As the night drew on the lad became