December 9th, 1839.
While Br. Teichelmann and me were again busy putting up his fence, Mr. Hall, the governor's private secretary ( 186 ), suddenly and unexpectedly came to us. I asked him for advice as to how I should get food etc. to Wirramu in the future, to which he gave me the pleasant answer that the government would bring it to me on their ship "Waterwitch". From his conversation we could conclude that the withdrawal of rations from the natives was in no way His Excellency's initiative, for Hall said he did not agree with Moorhouse on this point. Of course, the natives would have to be expected to work for what they received; But repeated attempts must also be made to get them to work by viewing and treating them as children. Br. Teichelmann indicated that the transfer of the office of protector of the natives from Mr. Wyatt to [Mr.] Moorhouse was not very beneficial to the blacks, to which Hall replied that that was his opinion too. He believed that if [Mr.] Wyatt wanted to publish his collection of words, it would be very good.

December 10th, 1839.
I visited my bride again. She had been in town but [had] not been able to visit me as I had expected due to busy business and lack of time. When it came to the point that she might soon be able to move to New Silesia(177) ( 187 ) because [her] father intended to take over livestock on behalf of others and to spend the summer in the place mentioned, I reminded her that the distance between me and her would then become that great again, again asking what she said about it, to which

she replied: it is and will be a sour apple.

Me: she could always avoid biting it.

She: how so?

Me, jokingly, said she could only do with me as she had already done with someone else and tell me to go my own way.

She: I'm pretty sure of that.

In the evening we read a little again in the "Vicar of Wakefield"(178).

December 11th, 1839.
Since I had stayed the night in Klemzig, I went into town with Mr. Fiedler today and spent an hour or so with him at Teichelmann's [house]. The natives have the news among them that two of the northerners have been murdered.

December 12th, 1839.
Mullawirraburka and Ilyamai itpinna were with me this evening, to whom I again explained what we, me and Br. Teichelmann, actually wanted among them and at the same time that [they] didn't have to believe such lies; if they thought that their