then figures of Byamee, Birrahgnooloo, and
Baillahburrah, or Dillalee, and was told all about them; that Byamee
having initiated the Boorah, only such as have been through its rites
can go to his sky-camp.

Three sins are unforgiveable, and commit a spirit of a guilty one to
continual movement in the lower world of the Eleanbah Wundah, where,
but for big fires kept up, would be darkness.

There the guilty one had to keep his right hand at his side, never
moving it, but he himself perpetually moving. Those who know the blacks
and their love of a 'dolce far niente,' will understand what a
veritable hell this perpetual movement would make.

The three deadly sins were unprovoked murder, lying to the elders of
the tribe, or stealing a woman within the forbidden degrees--that is,
of the same hereditary totem, i.e. of the same blood, or of the
prohibited family name clan.

But by a curious train of reasoning two wrongs make a right. Should by
any chance a man succeed in getting a wife he had no right to, having
lived with her, he could keep her, if he came unhurt from the trial he
had to stand; he only having a shield to defend himself with, the men
of the stolen woman's kin threw weapons at him. Only the men of her kin
are assailants, not as in a murder trial, when the men of all kins can
throw at the guilty man. Should he defend himself successfully, he can
keep the woman on the understanding that a woman of his family is given
to a man of hers, to square things. A man who stands his trial is
called a Booreenbayyi.

Kindliness towards the old and sick is strictly inculcated as a command
of Byamee, to whom all breaches of his laws are reported by the
all-seeing spirit at a man's death, and he is judged accordingly. Sir
Thomas Mitchell, writing in 1837 his experiences of the blacks during
his explorations, notices as very striking their care and affection for
the aged of their race.

At his second Boorah a man is allowed to see the carvings on the trees
and to hear the legends of them. Also to hear the Boorah song of
Byamee, which Byamee himself sang; and to hear the prayer of the oldest
wirreenun to Byamee, asking him to let the blacks live long, for they
have been faithful to his charge as shown by the observance of the
Boorah ceremony.

The old wirreenun says words to this effect several times imploringly,
his head turned to the east; facing this direction the dead are mostly
buried.

Though we say that actually