THE CROWD AND THE SINGING 



language I thought it would be an excellent plan to 

 start each day's work with morning prayers. I told 

 the people so. " Nakomek, nakomek " (how thank- 

 ful), they said, and nodded, and nudged one another 

 in their appreciation of the idea. The word 1 

 happened to use the morning singing caught their 

 fancy at once, for singing always appeals to them. 

 A grim-faced deputation called upon me to know if 

 it was true that there was going to be singing at nine 

 o'clock. " Yes," said I. " Then the people want to 

 know if they may come, even when they are not sick, 

 just for the singing, and then go home again." " By 

 all means, let them come and help with the singing ; " 

 and the deputation retired, smiling and nakomek-ing. 

 66 Now," thought I, " we are likely to have a crowd : 

 rhat are we to do for benches ? " I set a small boy to 

 scour the village for the two worthies who shared 

 the honourable and responsible position of public 

 carpenter; and when, after a due interval, they 

 arrived, having been discovered, without doubt, 

 sharing a solid meal of fresh seal meat in some 

 hunter's house, I took them into my plans. Peter 

 and David, the worthy carpenters in question, nodded 

 sagely and said " Taimak " (so be it) ; and we made 

 our way to the attic. There we attacked the disused 

 packing-cases, and knocked them to pieces and pulled 

 the nails out, and planed the boards to a reasonable 

 smoothness, and by dint of much measuring and 

 sawing and hammering evolved a dozen very decent 

 little benches out of the pile. No Mission hospital 

 ever had cheaper furniture than our amateur benches ; 

 but they served their purpose, and, for all that I know 

 to the contrary, they are doing duty at Okak Hospital 

 to this day. On the advice of Peter and David we 



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